


This skin, inked for you

by toots (TooMany0TPs)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comic relief Ginny!, F/F, Ginny may or may not be me in the potter verse XD, Hilarious Ginny, Soulmate Tattoos, soulmate, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 15:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9240926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooMany0TPs/pseuds/toots
Summary: Basically, Soulmate tattoos are a thing, yes I got this from someone else who probably got it from someone else, that's how popular this soulmate one is buuutttt, bellamione sooo.





	1. Room of mysteries

**Author's Note:**

> I have a strong feeling this will take up three chapters not two, so Imma say it has three and change it when it's done.

 She's always been different, if not in obvious ways, but in more subtle ways too. For example she'd always sleep with a seemingly different internal clock, she'd laugh at little insignificant things or at inappropriate times; even prefers foods so left field to her friends it's almost like she's a different entity, like if they like deep-fried, sweet, fatty foods, she likes dried fruits and proper roast dinners with all the trimmings.

 The most glaringly obvious difference about her, however, is the insane pains she gets under her skin over the majority of the left side of her torso. The pain comes and goes, sometimes more intense than others and never at a convenient time for her. It's often itchy as well, meaning she'll scratch at it, maybe under her armpit and get disgusted looks.

 Now, one of the more evident differences is her tattoo; it still hasn't come. It would usually come through about 14, all her friends have theirs, from generic locks and roses to a creature of some kind, or jewellery. They're all quite small, no bigger than a size 11 foot-print, to as small as a penny.

 Harry has a crystal clear glass of an opaque maroon liquid, just below the swell of his shoulder. And Ron, Ron has a brown bunny encased in what must be a crystal ball. This rather detailed tattoo she'd seen, right between his shoulder blades, when he took his shirt off at the lake.

 She loves the lake, it's a sanctuary she likes to take solitude in, all the animals and mythical creatures around her, nature doing it's damnedest to entice her to walk into the forests; and the stones she skips creates an aesthetic even Ron sometimes takes time to enjoy.

 She still, to this day, doesn't know why she was placed in Gryffindor, she's never gotten along with the other Gryffindor girls and would most likely have done a thousand times better if she'd been placed in Ravenclaw with more studious house-mates. She even thinks, for one weird second she'd suit Slytherin, her sarcasm and slyness has never fit in the Gryffindors.

 She remembers all of this as she's looking at the millions of prophecies swirling around her, stacked so high up that if this room had a light source other than the faint blue of their wands or the lightly glowing orbs of words stacked high, there'd probably be clouds swirling around and through the many shelves.

 Harry has just reached for his prophecy when Lucius' arrogant tone clearly splits the air and makes her shiver in distaste.

 The man in question walks out of the shadows, his face obscured by the death eater mask. His pointed hood making him look like an evil gnome and his robes give him a certain finesse any type of billowy long clothes would.

 Harry's just started reaching out to pass the orb to the man, after many complaints from his friends when she collapses, pain ripping through her shoulder and upper ribs.

 A feral scream loosens from her lips and her teeth clench in agony.

 A similarly agonised scream can be heard, but it echoes from wherever it had rung from, making it sound terribly far away. The pain intensifies and she can't decide what's happening around her; her shoulder feels like it's being ripped from her body and her ribs feel like they've all broken at once, making it hard to breath.

 Her body rolls on it's own, disorientating her and squeezing out moans and whines, the pain slowly radiates outwards until she can feel the top of her chest, shoulder, half her upper arm, the side of her neck and the majority of the left upper side of her back, all burning. What must be the middle of the pain sheet starts to dull to a low throb and soon the rest of it has also neutered down to dull throb, any sudden pulse makes her convulse, her sweaty forehead sticking to the grid of the gargantuan room.

 "-rmione! Hermione, can you hear me? Hermione!" Someone shakes her shoulder and she grimaces at the hand pinching into her tender flesh.

 "Hermione!" The world seems to run her over as sound comes back as crackles and shouts. Whoever it was that had given their own scream has seemingly recovered far faster than she has because she can no longer hear them, but then again, from the racket her friends are making and the under-water tint, it wouldn't be a surprise that they have simply drowned the other out.

 Whoever was shaking her shoulder gives up trying to get her attention and opts to lifting her by the arm, slinging her arm over their neck and forcing someone else to sling her other over their neck as well.

 Her head bobs as she's dragged along, ghosts of pain shooting through her whenever either one of her carriers needs to suddenly stop and attack what must be death eaters coming at them.

 She hears Luna cast, soon followed by the distant crashing of glass and crumpling of metal, she must have knocked a shelf over.

 The two carrying her speed up and her feet occasionally catch on the grid beneath them as the soles of her shoes dig into the little holes.

 "Over here!" She hears and suddenly they've changed direction, opting to run down a narrower path branching off of the main pathway. She grunts every so often when one of the guys carrying her runs into a shelf accidentally. The isle doesn't seem to be big enough for all three of them.

 Then she's falling, or it might be her muddled mind playing tricks on her, but she swears she was being tugged along by two people one second and the next she's fallen through, or more rather pushed, through a narrow door that slams shut as the last of them fall through it.

 She sighs as the feeling of weightlessness settles into her bones, lifting the gravity from her tortured shoulder and giving her a chance to breath; although it's hard to do so with wind whipping around her head.

 Surprised yells echo around her, which is soon interrupted with umphs and she cries out as all of a sudden, gravity's back to punish her.

 She flops to the ground and just lies there, unable to move her tortured limbs, they feel like they're on fire.

 "Hermione!, Get up, come on!" She's soon tugged to her feet again, but one side of her feels lower down than it was, they must have swapped she thinks. She can barely roll her head to the side, let alone open her eyes.

 "Wooaaahhhh, what _is_ that?" She grunts as she's settled against something cold and hard.

 "I hear them too Harry."

 "What? It's an empty arch."

 "No, there are voices."

 A few shouts and murmured warnings either too distorted or too quiet for her to hear, and then. "Give me the prophecy boy." Lucius Malfoy sounds so very appealing in that moment.

 His calm words, enticing every bone in her body to sleep. But she can't, she needs to wake up, get up, do something!

 She's just managed to stand up, leaning heavily on the wall for support when there's a flurry of activity behind her and she's soon pinned to someone's front.

 She can't help her head flop back onto her captor's shoulder, it's lower than her head is and she grunts as it strains in the air to reach it's target. "Shhh." The arm that isn't firmly holding her arms to her sides strokes her back. "We wouldn't want to hurt ourselves any more now, would we?" The sultry calm words of the woman behind her soothes her, and a deliberately placed breath tickles it's way past the shell of her ear.

 She tries to speak but her dry throat refuses to co-operate and the woman tuts and coos to her quietly.

 She's oblivious to what's happening in the room around her.

 There's a gentle tug on her sleeve as it's pulled down her arm and straightened out. The woman rests her chin on Hermione's shoulder, close enough to force their cheeks to press together and her face reddens at the surprising heat flooding through her veins.

 "Let her GO!"

 "Aww, does lickle gingy want his play-thing back?" The woman taunts, Hermione shivers, but not out of disgust.

 "She's defenceless, you're _sick_." Another voice yells in their direction. Hermione finally manages to squint her eyes open and rolls her head enough to get a lung-full of cinnamon smelling curly black hair.

 There's maniac laughter bubbling out of the chest pressed to her back and she struggles to keep her knees locked so she doesn't collapse, this woman is supporting far more of her than she can help. But the witch doesn't seem to mind, nor notice as she's shifted a little.

 She stares at the ceiling, her bearings slowly filing back into her, even as white plooms of smoke join the party and the woman behind her tenses, but doesn't let go. She moves and Hermione moves with, unable to not. Nymphadora's voice rings through her head as a light grunt blows into her ear from behind and the arms circling her loosen.

 She's dropped, but a warm bony hand grabs her wrist just as an equally warm palm grabs her forearm. She can tell the three of them are airborne.

 "Hermione!" The grip on her forearm falters and is soon pushed off and she's still flying around now only supported by one warm grip, that warm grip soon turns into two secure arms.

 The wind buffets around her as soft lashes from whatever the smoke is hits her face, there's a pull behind her bellybutton as they apparate away; the sound of spells crackling and pained shouts from both sides instantly disappears, soon to be replaced by the light crackle of a nearby fire, she's placed on a soft fluffy rug.

 "Bella! What are you doing? Why is she here?" Hermione curls into herself, trying to creep closer to the fire's warmth.

 "What's wrong mother?"

 Warm hands sweep away tiny baby hairs from her neck, letting the cool air and warmth of the fire wrap her up in a nice blanket of serenity. "Why is _she_ here?!"

 "Will you two shut up?" That same voice, that now has a name, that nice, soothing voice that could send flowers into early bloom and rough seas to calm. That voice, Bella.

~~~

 It's worse than a crucio, that's for sure. About ten times worse to be more accurate; her back feels like it's being ripped open and her spine's being mangled to death by rats.

 A scream tears from her throat, unable to help it and she grunts as she grits her teeth out of sheer determination to see through the pain. She's felt worse, she tells herself, far, far worse.

 Up! Get up!

 She teeters on the edge of collapsing again and falls against one of the metal shelves to ensure she doesn't.

 Move!

 She takes a step, then two and soon she's following one foot behind the other, wobbling precariously, leaning left and right as she tries to run after the little shits.

 The shelves start collapsing in on themselves as the idiot blonde blasts one of her comrades back. The shouting of the teens stops as the slam of a door sounds loudly over the smashing of glass. Those still caught within the disaster of smashed glass, soon to meet their fate, but not her, no, she needs to find the girl.

 She needs to know.

 Her fellow death eaters and her apparate out of the room, leaving the masses of smashed glass and crumpled metal to be tidied by someone who actually cares, and reappear, circling at the top of a very tall room. The death chamber if the arch she spies is anything to go by.

 Her arm twinges every now and then, but it's nothing compared to the pain from earlier. She shudders at the thought.

 She watches like a hawk as Malfoy talks to the boy and his followers.

 The girl!

 She's propped up by the wall off to one side, well out of harms way, not if she can help it. She grins - oh the things I will do to you. - She looks up at her fellow death eaters and growls lowly. "She's mine." She doesn't need to specify to whom she's referring, they already know.

 Mudblood, the girl, she's mine.

 Lucius fails in coaxing the boy to give him the globe, and that's when she reacts, like a caterpillar’s body the other's follow and they soon have everyone pinned.

 The girl grunts as her head falls back against her shoulder and she can't help the pang of sympathy that courses through her. "Shhh, we wouldn't want to hurt ourselves any more now, would we?" She rubs a hand into the girl's back and the tenseness seems to loosen in the girl's stance, or what little isn't supported by herself.

 She spies a glimpse of a castle turret, glowing lights warming the picturesque brickwork and bringing the girl's thin neck to life. It's a masterpiece. She grins.

 Of all the people.

 The girl slouches further and Bellatrix stands a little taller, subconsciously offering her as much comfort as she can in the position they're in. She breathes over the shell of her ear and rests her chin on a dainty shoulder.

 "Let her GO!" She looks up to the ginger boy, and squints. Little rat.

 "Aww, does lickle gingy want his play-thing back?" She taunts. The disgruntled look on his face is priceless.

 "She's defenceless, you're _sick_." Another voice yells in her direction. The girl in her arms rolls her head and she smirks as a little moan leaves her lips. She cackles and clutches onto the brunette more firmly, she's now almost a dead weight, but she's like a stick anyway, naturally lanky.

 Her sister's Nymph appears and she scowls, "Give her to me." Bellatrix scowls, that's not nice, has she not learnt to leave what is not hers. She can do with them what she will.

 The auror casts plenty of strong spells, one catches her arm as she tries to twist the girl out of the way of her Niece's poor aim. She's momentarily stunned but it's long enough for the young witch to slip from her arms and she only just has enough time to latch onto one of her wrists as her niece does too.

 "Hermione!" Bellatrix lets her smug look take over her face as Nymphadora falls away, hit by a rather well timed flipendo.

 Time to go. 

 The room's rather overwhelming noise soon disappears and is replaced by her Sister's library and warm fire. Said witch slams her book shut and launches herself out of the chair. "Bella! What are you doing? Why is she here?" The brunette curls forward, trying to wriggle closer to the roaring fire.

 "What's wrong mother?" Draco comes in just as she's reaching to brush soft hairs away from the girl's neck and strokes a light thumb over the tattooed turret. "Why is she here?!" She scowls as Draco's squeaky voice breaks her eardrum and makes the girl on the rug whimper in discomfort.

 "Will you two shut up?" She throws over her shoulder, far too enraptured with the girl already.

 By the time both blondes have stopped moving forward she's picked the girl up, her soft snores giving away her state of unconsciousness. She smiles. "Goodnight, Cissa"

 And with that she exits the library in a flurry of black lace skirts.

~~~

 The girl moans softly and ruffles about under a thick black duvet.

 Bellatrix perks up at the movement, but then the young witch stills, and her head drops back down when there's no other sign of the girl actually being alive. "Come on Muddy, please wake up soon." She whispers, stroking her thumb over the back of a sun-kissed hand.

 "Bella you need to eat."

 She waves her hand in the direction of the door, where her youngest sister's head pokes round.

 "It won't do you any good not eating and stressing over the girl. You know this."

 "Go away! Cissy." The younger witch sighs and pulls the door shut with a click.

 The black grandfather clock in the corner of her room chimes at seven. Five hours since she'd apparated the girl here. She sighs. Cissy has come in twice, the first to give her a pain potion and the other to give her a large hand held mirror.

 The moment her darling sister had vanished again she had untied her corset, letting it flop to her waist, casting a glance at the other girl once in a while and turned her back to the large standing mirror next to the window.

 She had held the hand held herself and inspected the new tattoo that covers the majority of her back, lower neck and dips just below where her skirt fabric hugs her hips. The tattoo itself is beautiful, just like the creature in her bed.

 The scene depicting Hogwart's Black Lake, but from the vantage point of the viewer in which Jean clad legs stretch out before the lake with books dotted about on either side. The book in the viewer's hand clearly says 'pride and prejudice' she had frowned in thought, she'd never heard of that book title before.

 But before she could further delve into her memories a quiet moan had floated up into the room and she'd quickly clothed herself with a flick of her wand and reappeared beside the sleeping girl.

 Kitten hasn't moved since.

 She forewent tea time in favour of being there when the girl wakes. She must have felt the tattoo's painful materialism far more than she had, her body obviously unable to cope with the sensory overload.

 The girl shuffles again, but then rolls over and curls towards Bellatrix. She tugs the hand into the circle of her body and sighs. "Wake up little witch."

 Said witch huffs and her brow furrows a little. Bellatrix smiles and pushes back a large amount of brown hair from the girl's forehead, she leans closer, "wake up, little witch."

 The girl mumbles and curls more tightly around the hand she's pulled into her stomach.

 She smiles, the girl - Hermione if she remembers correctly - seems to be a sleeper. "Wake up, you need food, if you do not eat, I will heve to force it down you." She squeezes the hand in hers.

 "M'not hungry Molly." Bellatrix frowns, Molly?

 "You need food girl. Wake up."

 An "mmmmhhhhhhnnnooooo." is exhaled and Bellatrix sighs, the girl is also proving to be rather stubborn.

 "Fine, if you won't voluntarily wake up, I'll take matters into my own hands." She stands from her stool, grabs the end of the rumpled duvet and tugs, effectively pulling the thick cover off of the girl who whines in complaint and abruptly sits up, her eyes stubbornly closed as she feels around for the lost warmth.

 Not being able to find said duvet, she yawns and stretches, seemingly oblivious to Bellatrix stood beside her, doing her absolute best to burn holes through her head with an intense glare.

 Her sixth sense seems to come into play and slowly a bleary eyed brunette turns towards the older witch. Her gaze is focused on Bellatrix's face now, her head tilted in thought as her sleep addled mind tries to remember who she's looking at.

 "You know, there's plenty of food in the kitchens if you would care to wake up fully." Bellatrix huffs, she crosses her arms.

 And just like that, the trance the girl was in is broken and she jumps a mile high trying to get off the bed. "Y-you'r-you're. Yo-" She falls over the side of the bed with a thump and groan.

 Then her head pops up, along with a wand raised in her direction.

 "Really? This is the best I get for the hospitality I've shown."

 "Well, what do you expect when you're stood right there."

 Bellatrix looks down at her feet, stood firmly planted on the wooden floor. "Yeees." She says slowly, looking back up to the girl's head. "I could stand over here if you'd like?" She takes a single step back.

 "No I mean as in you...you're Bellatrix Black Lestrange, how can I not try to defend myself." The witch's wand wavers slightly as her hand shakes.

 "Now, before you start, I want you to consider that A) I'm far more powerful than you could ever dream to be, B)I've looked over you, ensuring your health, I'd have thought if I'd have wanted to kill or maim you I would have already done so and C) You still have your wand." She crosses her arms over her chest with impatience.

 "Oh, and I hate the name Lestrange. I loathe my husband."

 "Why have you kidnapped me?" The girl ducks a little further behind the bed.

 "Please, I haven't kidnapped you, I merely....borrowed you. There has been a recent happening that I find you will be rather interested in."

 The brunette raises an eyebrow.

 "Which I will not show to you yet, you have to earn that right. Now, you can either put that wand away and go about today in a more civilised manner, or you can develop arm-ache in, what I assume, is your already sore arm."

 She watches with a gleam in her eye as the brunette shifts uncomfortably before letting her arm drop to the bed with a sigh of relief.

 "Now.....Tea?" She turns to the door, she then steps forward until at least a meter from the exit and holds her elbow out expectantly. She doesn't turn around and soon feels a hand slip into the crook of her arm.

 "Why am I here?"

 "Like I say, I will show you in good time. You must have patience little witch." She doesn't need to look up to the young witch to know the face she's pulled at the nickname.

 They make it to the long dinner table, in one of the smaller dining rooms to find the three Malfoys still sat eating quite happily.

 The girl trailing closely behind her pauses in the doorway and Bellatrix turns back with an expectant look. She holds a hand out, the same hand that's attached to the same arm where she had held onto earlier.

 The young witch hesitates for a moment, wearily eyeing the preferred hand before sliding her own into it and allowing herself to be gently tugged towards the table. All three pairs of eyes look up. Draco seems to choke around his mouthful of food and Lucius lets out an indignant cough.

 "Ah, Bella, so good of you to join us. And you are?" Hermione looks up for a second before her eyes instantly flit back to the floor.

 "Hermione, Hermione Granger." She says awkwardly, toeing the ground as Bellatrix takes a seat.

 "Come now little witch, you can't be expected to stand there idly by now would you?" Her dearest sister passes her hand over the chair furthest from herself, on the other side of Bellatrix, with Draco facing her.

 Her poor nephew doesn't know what to do with himself as he glares at the girl across from him.

 Bellatrix sneaks a hand across the small gap and rests it on the girl's jiggling knee; she tenses under said touch and with a quick reassuring glance relaxes again.

 Narcissa clicks her fingers and a little elf in a torn, dark grey rag that just barely clings to one of it's shoulders appears next to the blonde witch. "Twiggy, would you be a dear and serve our guest?" The Elf squeaks in reply and snaps back out of the room.

 "Now, I think I'm speaking on behalf of my darling husband and son, why are you here?"

 The brunette turns to Bellatrix, who raises an eyebrow at the girl. "Why am I here?" She mutters and older witch smiles faintly.

 "As I have said to you on at least two occasions already, you will find out once you've earned that right. Along with you dearest Cissa." Narcissa only sits up straighter and eyes the black haired witch in thought.

 Lucius coughs and sips his wine, trying to clear his throat. "You will remain quiet until I have told Cissy at least." The man coughs further, the threat coming across as clear as a whistle.

 By the end of the meal, and the three Malfoys had patiently waited for Bellatrix and the little witch to finish eating, Hermione has seemed to have relaxed enough to converse with the three blondes as she had in Bellatrix's room. She's got quite a bit of sass.

 They'd made their way into the library, where there's a lit fire, which Draco sits infront of, her sister and brother-in-law are sat in the smaller of the two settees and Hermione and herself are sat in the leather three seater, at a clear vantage point of the other settee.

 Lucius and Bellatrix have a glass of fire whiskey each, and Narcissa has a glass of wine.

 Bellatrix discretely watches as Hermione itches part of her shoulder, which she knows has the tattoo beneath. The eldest Black doesn't think the brunette knows she has her tattoo yet.

 "So Hermione, it has come to my attention that you have a distinct knack for getting top marks in nearly every subject, is this true?" Narcissa watches Hermione intently, awaiting an answer.

 "I do, yes. I do find it hard to find a challenge though."

 "I understand, my sister has always sought out more of an obstacle in her work." Bellatrix smiles faintly at her sister's subtle compliment.

 Hermione yawns and unknowingly shuffles closer to Bellatrix, who happily accepts the new distance with an open arm. Hermione hesitates for all of two seconds before she happily curls under the bend of her arm.

 When the brunette has rested her head on her chest she rests her own on the crown of the young witch's head and squeezes the shoulder trapped beneath her hand.

 Bellatrix looks back to Narcissa who looks like she's about to question what she's just witnessed and shakes her head with a look that says 'no'.  The blonde nods quietly, the men oblivious to what just transpired, having branched off into their own conversation a while ago.

 It isn't long before Hermione's fallen asleep and Bellatrix is carding her fingers through knotted bushy hair. She presses a kiss to her forehead before sliding an arm under her knees and lifting her up.

 "Goodnight, Cissta." She carefully flicks her wand, which pushes her hair slightly to the side to reveal part of her tattoo and she just knows her sister has seen it.

 She makes it to her bedroom in record time and gently lays the girl on her now dark green duvet.

 She takes a moment to just stand and watch the girl, tracing each and every feature, from the faint laughter lines creasing her eyes to the incredibly faint dimple in her cheek.

 She's utter perfection and Bellatrix doesn't know what to do with herself in light of her roaring emotions. They are far too alien to her to start figuring out and her head hurts when she dwells too long on them.

 She leans down to, once again, brush her unruly hair out of her face and traces a finger over the tattoo on her neck stood proudly poking out of the collar of her shirt.

 Hogwarts, her sanctuary, or what was once her sanctuary. Her teachers understood her, had understood her, they'd probably be horrified if they saw her now.

 She really isn't all that evil, the media likes to fabricate and expand, make things more...idealistic. Sometimes she really hates the media, but it is good for making her infamous. After all, stories must originate on an idea, no matter how small it is. She grins to herself.

 This sweet, innocent, naïve little witch ... she won't know what's hit her.

 Her hand tugs at the back of the girl's neck, bunching the soft hairs together and exposing her throat. She leans down to press her lips to the steady pulse, this girl, the other half of her life source, will know what it means to be Bellatrix Black's soulmate.


	2. You only live once, so take the chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a yolo moment, life threatening moment and a nice morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may need to make this fic 4 chapters

 Hermione moans, stretching her arms and legs out in-front of her like a cat in the sun. She has never been acquainted with such a luxurious bed, the mattress far surpasses that of Hogwart's dormitories and the Weasley's beds seem like straw filled bags compared to this.

 It also helps to have the warm weight wrapped around her from behind...

 Warm weight.

 "Morning Kitten."

 She can feel a smirk being pressed into her shoulder before the arm and leg draped precariously over her constrict, and pull her even closer to the curved body behind pressed to her back. A shiver rattles down her spine at the huskiness of the woman's voice. It's just sooo...Bellatrix.

 "You slept well."

 "For all you know I could have slept terribly and dreamt of an imploding world." A chuckle answers her.

 "I think you will find the fitful snores you gave were more than confirmation of a pleasant night. Also, I think the little moan of my name helps substitute for even a ... lascivious dream?"

 Hermione tenses at that prospect and Bellatrix tuts. "Aww, is my little witch getting embarrassed."

 "No, I'm getting worried because you're a ... a death eater, a murderer." She gets a dark chuckle.

 "Yes, well done for spotting that. Doesn't mean I can have my fun though can it?" She feels the older witch trail a smooth, unblemished fingertip down the middle of her back, reminding her that, for the second night in a row, she has been in the same clothes since the start of the week, which was four days ago.

 "I'm not going to be your plaything Bellatrix. I'm not going to be your anything thank you very much." The witch behind her chuckles again and she turns to face her, half rolling onto the woman, so she has to crane her neck around to see her.

 Damn her perfect features.

 She sees the older witch's hand come up to her face and she cringes away, surprisingly the woman pauses and instead tucks it back between their bodies.

 "Why am I here?"

 She tuts. "How many times have I said now? must be what, four times? Patience. I will tell you when the time comes, but at the moment it doesn't seem to be anywhere near to close so, you will have to wait and see." She grins and her surprisingly white gnashers glare right back at her; even her teeth are perfect!

 "Well, if you're not gonna tell me why I'm here, at least tell me what the hell happened in the ministry." Bellatrix wraps the arm she'd buried between them back over Hermione's waist and she tries not to think about how _good_ it feels there, the resting weight giving her comfort even if it is a little possessive.

 The older witch sighs and it seems as though it's the first time only a sincere look has passed over her face, not madness, not playfulness, not even sultry. "That, you will probably discover on your own."

 Hermione frowns, "What the hell do you mean?" She watches as the witch looks past her to the other side of her room and then looks back to Hermione. She makes a vague gesture, a sweep of a hand.

 "Look for yourself." The brunette cranes her neck the other way and spots the mirror stood to attention in the corner. She looks back to the woman unsure, only to be given a smile and a 'go on' gesture.

 Hermione gets up and gingerly steps over to the reflection. She instantly sees the markings on her neck, she frowns.

 They weren't there before.

 She reaches a hand up to stroke the skin whilst the other pulls her shirt collar further down. "What the." She mutters.

 She swivels around to look at Bellatrix, who's spread out elegantly on the deep green covers. She grins. "What?"

 She points to the older witch, mouthing incoherent stutters before swivelling back to the mirror and inspecting the bit she can see. "Do you mind going somewhere else?"

 Bellatrix smirks and quickly makes her way over to the brunette. She wraps her arms around a petite waist and rests her hands over her abdomen, resting her chin on the young witch's shoulder. "Is this better little witch?" The brunette huffs but covers one of the hands on her abdomen with her own, whether subconsciously or not, the contact made the older witch's eyes darken and she positively purrs.

 "No, I mean...i-it's I want to see under my top. B-but I can't cause you're here."

 "Mmmhh, it is my room remember kitten." She slowly makes her way back to the bed, without once turning around, she flops gracefully back down onto the bed.

 The brunette watches her through the mirror's reflection, she looks to her possible exits before sighing and slowly peeling her shirt off.

 The dark witch grins like the Cheshire cat.

 She watches intently, her smile gone as the brunette's eyes remain closed and the shirt's still wrapped around her wrists and hands. She inhales deeply before prying one eye open and then the other as she takes in more of the tattoo.

 It takes up almost half of her torso, and it's beautiful. It depicts Hogwarts at night, if the lit windows and deep navy, star-filled background is anything to go by.

 The older witch can't help but want a closer look too, so she gets up and walks to the girl, gently touching the freshly exposed skin and marvelling at the parts of the tattoo she can see beneath the unusually restricting bra.

 She pings the elastic, "What sort of bra is this?"

 The girl doesn't answer but instead traces the pale figure stood in the entrance grounds to the castle.

 Narcissa's stood proudly, looking out from the castle with a black panther stalking out from behind her. The creature's low to the ground and looks about ready to strike as Narcissa seems to run her hands through it's furs.

 Bellatrix reverently traces over the two figures, taking care in tracing her sister's face.

 "It's beautiful...like you." She carefully kisses the exposed shoulder, her eyes never leaving Hermione's face. The girl blushes but doesn't look up to meet her eyes.

 She quickly tugs the shirt back on and holds her arm self-consciously.

 Bellatrix scowls. "You are beautiful." The girl looks further away and tugs her shirt down over the crease of her jeans. "Hermione." She thinks that's the first time she's said her name.

 The shorter witch slides her fingers under the girl's jaw and pushes until her head has turned to face her, she bends her knees to get a proper look at the young witch's face. "Believe me when I say, you're beautiful. It is not often I have ever, if at all, said that."

 The once sassy girl shies away and hunches her shoulders together.

 She scratches the skin beneath her nails and kisses her forehead, "you must be hungry with all the dreaming you did."

 The deepening of the blush that decorates her cheeks is answer enough to know the brunette got the reference. She smiles innocently, her hand trailing down to rest in the younger witch's and she slowly tugs the girl out of the room and down to the dining room.

 Hermione pauses along the corridor to the room. "I can't have breakfast in these clothes again."

 "Why not?" Hermione looks incredulously at her.

 "Because! I've slept in them twice and I've been wearing them since .... Thursday? Probably. I smell." To further prove her point she lifts an arm up, sniffs and pulls a face.

 Bellatrix considers the girl for a moment. "Have you not tried cleansing spells?" The young witch blushes and looks away. "I'll take that as a no then." Bellatrix lifts her wand and easily freshens the girl, the stains in her top vanishing, they looked like they'd been there a good while, and she seems to glow with freshly cleansed skin.

 Hermione blinks and then looks down at herself, she sniffs her sleeve and hums. Bellatrix grins, she knew the girl would like the smell. "Come." She tugs on the hand still trapped in hers and they finally make their way into the dining room.

 "Good morning Cissy." The witch in question looks over from where she's pristinely perched at the edge of her dining chair. She's at the head of the table with Draco on one side and Lucius on the other.

 "Good morning Bella. Hermione." She tacks on, as if an afterthought.

 The brunette blushes and avoids Draco's narrowed eyes. He's still suspicious, as is Narcissa. But where the younger sister is polite and at least attempts to cover her scepticism Draco blatantly glares, and it seems to make the young witch really rather uncomfortable.

 "Draco! Will you quit with your glaring, she's not going to erupt into flames so stop trying." Said boy looks down to his plate and fiddles with the edge of the table cloth.

 The late arrivals take their seats, Hermione scootching her chair embarrassingly closer to Bella's. But the older witch doesn't question it, if anything she smiles and gladly accepts the sought out closeness.

***

 After a lovely breakfast, delivered by Twiggy and two other elves the unusual pair had made their way back to Bella's rooms.

 "Will you please come and sit down?" Hermione sighs for the tenth time in the past twenty minutes. She has refused to look back over her shoulder at Bella, who she knows is lain out deliciously on a familiar dark green duvet.

 "A few more minutes." She hears a huff and she can't help but smirk in satisfaction at making such an infamously impatient witch wait.

 "You said that a few minutes ago." She whines and Hermione can her the flop of her head as it drops back onto soft covers.

 "Well.. you're just going to have to wait." She continues to scrutinise her tattoo, it's colour has fully come through now, allowing her to wonder why the hell Bella's sister is now permanently etched onto her body.

 She softly touches the panther, her left arm raised so she can see the tattoo properly, even with her bra in the way and having to turn this way and that to see the front and back.

 The big cat looks remarkably familiar, but she can't quite think of why.

 Who always looks ready to pounce?

 Predatory snarl?

 Sharp features?

 Deep,

 Dark,

 Eyes?

 "Ohmygod." She gasps, her arm jerking back down to cover the two figures. "Ohmygod."

 "What's the matter little witch?"

 "Ohmygod....It's. That's, she's... _you're_ my soulmate?!" She spins around to squint at the elegantly spread out woman.

 She slowly sits up and scoots to the edge of the bed, where she leans back and places her hands behind her. "So what if I am?"

 "Is that...is that why you didn't kill me? Purely because you're my soulmate. Ohmygod." The older witch's face, to her credit, doesn't betray what she's thinking, just allows the brunette to piece things together and come to terms with the recently relieved fact.

 "I can't believe this. No, I don't want to." She shakes her head, resting a hand on her hip and the other on her forehead.

 She slaps her arm down with a huff, grabs her discarded shirt and marches towards the door. "Hermione!"

 She keeps going. "Where are you going kitten?" The older woman has a hard time at keeping up with her long strides, but she does and the brunette's soon pulled around and into waiting arms which she fights and pushes at to escape.

 "Shh, it's alright kitten." The dark witch starts to stroke Hermione's hair and she can't help but feel her muscles relax against her will to melt into the shorter witch.

 "Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

 Hermione takes a second to collect herself, should she tell her? Yes, yes she should. "You can't be my soulmate. It's like putting chalk and cheese together, they don't go."

 " _Oh_ , kitten, you really have no idea do you?" Hermione frowns in annoyance. "If we really have nothing in common, then explain our love for books, intelligence. Our liking for croissant buttered on one side with raspberry jam on the other, and explain how you stretch like a cat." 

 Hermione pauses; do they really have _that_ much in common? The woman's a cold pure-blooded murderer for Christ's sakes. She was in Slytherin!

 But then again, the woman really does seem to compliment her in ways she would never in a million years have thought. Like how she doesn't like the glacier cherry on Bakewell tarts and Bella doesn't like the Bakewell tart but loves the cherries, she claims they're 'the best bit'. Or where she's all lithe and lines, and Bellatrix is curves and pleasant slopes.

 Where she's at one end of the spectrum, Bellatrix is on the other.

 She sighs, she can't believe this, she will wake up soon. Yes, this is all a dream and all she has to do is wake herself up.

 "Bellatrix?"

 "Yes kitten?"

 "Pinch me."

 "What?"

 "You heard....pinch me." She draws back to look down at the dark witch. "Pinch me, prove to me that this isn't a dream." Hermione pretends not to notice the hurt look pass across delightfully creamy features.

 Her supposed soulmate's eyes soften and the next second a sharp twist of pain shoots up from the back of her hand. "OW."

 Bellatrix rubs at the spot she pinched apologetically. "You asked me to, and I really didn't want to. Now, are you willing to at least think you're in the land of the awake?"

 Hermione hesitates for a second, nothing has changed. Ron isn't going to spring out from around a corner and say 'JKs' Harry isn't going to hop down from the ceiling shouting 'Potter one, Granger nil.' This is _real_.

 Hermione sniffles, her cheeks soon trailing with tears and she's pulled back into a fierce hug, "if I'd have thought being my soulmate would evoke this reaction I would curse the fates until my death, but you're stuck with me. Lets face it, you could be stuck with Lucius." This makes the brunette laugh, an ugly laugh as she tries to hold back a sob at the same time.

 "Yeah, I could be stuck with Snape." Bellatrix outright guffaws which makes Hermione laugh as well. Soon they're in fits of giggles, set off by the other with a single look.

 "That would have been _such_ a waist." Hermione's wiping away tears of laughter when a handful of cracks can be heard throughout the house, making the older witch sober quickly.

 She grabs the brunette's arm and pulls her into her chambers, then speaks in a low voice. "I want you to stay here kitten, whatever you hear, you. Stay. Here." She looks up at Hermione sternly making sure she understands before taking off back out through the door.

 The carved wood is soon clicked shut and she knows the older witch has cast harsh spells over the woodwork. Whether to keep her in or others out she isn't sure.

 For the next hour or two she lounges about, unaware of the happenings below her.

***

 "Aaahhh, Bella, come in, come in." she inclines her head towards her master, striding to the seat directly to his left.

 "As I'm sure you can all tell, I will be at Malfoy Manor for the foreseeable future. Lucius be sure to provide me with a decent room." He looks knowingly at the man in question who gulps then nods hastily.

 "Yes sir."

 "Now, I have hired the assistance of the snatchers. Lovely people." He sneers and his followers laugh. "They will aid in finding the boy and his companions, the blood traitor and the mudblood."

 Bellatrix internally cringes.

 "The sooner the boy is brought to me, the sooner the world is rid of the useless." a few cheers and grumbles of agreement sound and The Dark Lord takes his time in observing those around him. His Lieutenant is abnormally quiet today.

 He silently converses with Nagini and he pulls a face. The room falls silent just before her husband stumbles through the door. Her Lord pulls a face at the rude interruption.

 "Me Lord! Come quick, a've found a girl." The Dark Lord leans back in his chair and contemplates the man for a second, who notices and instantly kneels. "Me Lord."

 "A girl?"

 "Yes, a mudblood." He looks up and grins, "pretty little thing." The serpent like man squints at him before moving to get up.

 He walks to Rudolphus and studies him from where he towers over the kneeling man. "Show me."

 He grins, slimy git. "I' wud be me pleasure, me Lord." He hurries to get up and goes back in the direction he came.

 Bellatrix sucks in a breath, pushes her hands to the table and holds the edge for a moment before looking to Lucius and apparating.

 "Kitten! Come, you need to go now."

 "B-but I'm, it's what?" The girl stutters, dropping her book at the sudden appearance of her soulmate.

 "My Lord is coming, you must leave. Come." She hurriedly gestures for the girl to hold her arm and the moment her hand touches she cracks away from the Manor.

 Straight to the Weasley burrow. She looks Hermione up and down before moving further back into the overgrowth surrounding the crooked building, casting a reassuring glance to the young witch and disappearing yet again.

 She flumps back into her chair, much to the questioning gaze of those around the table, which she sends an answering glare of her own and drums her fingers on the wood in-front of her.

 She knows Lucius is giving her a knowing look and she knows Fenrir is snarling at her from across the table, but she ignores it in favour of controlling her heartbeat as it jumps through her veins.

***

 "Hermione! Oh thank Merlin, we thought you were dead." Molly Weasley pulls the lithe girl into a bone crushing hug and she just as eagerly hugs back.

 "Never." She whispers, enjoying the motherly warmth she's missed over the past few days.

 "Who?" Hermione looks up in time to see the Weasley twins round the corner and Ginny's head poke itself past the ceiling surrounding the stairs. There are three instant shouts of excitement as the youngest races towards her and the mischievous brothers envelope both her and their mother in massive hugs.

 "Alright...Struggling to breathe here people." Ginny immediately draws back, apologies on the tip of her tongue as Fred and George just hug her tighter before pulling back.

 "Where on Earth have you been love? I've been worried sick." The Weasley matriarch rubs her thumbs over her cheeks and inspects every inch of her, although instead of the ruffled state she was expecting she instead sees now unscathed white trainers to her less faded shirt and to her clean as can be hair.

 The brunette tugs at the hem, unsure whether to say or not.

 Before she can even open her mouth she's tugged into a bear hug that can only belong to Ron.

 "Mione you're back!" She laughs as he finally places her back on the ground and she can turn around to hug him properly.

 "Of course I'm back, I can't let you and Harry loose on your own now can I?" He laughs and she grins. There's a moment of silence and a frown slowly forms on her face.

 ".... When the _hell_ did you get _that_?" She self-consciously covers her neck and looks away.

 "During the battle in the hall of prophecies." She mutters and sucks in a nervous breath.

 "...Oh." She knows Ginny's managed to link everything together now, if her little exclamation is anything to go by. " _Oh_! Oh my Merlin! Hermione.." She trails off, too shocked to say anything further.

 "What? What?" Hermione looks from Ginny to Molly, then to the three other ginger clad heads.

 Ron is also soon to link the dots and his face pales, if that's even possible. "You're..." He looks to where her tattoo peaks out above her collar with disgust. "That's-" He pulls a face as he points an accusatory finger at her neck.

 She tries to cover it further with both hands.

 "No! No-no-no, It's not what you think."

 "Then what is it Hermione?! While we were worrying ourselves to death. you were off gallivanting with the enemy!" Ron throws an arm out.

 "Enemy? Will one of you two please tell me what's going on?"

 "Hermione here." He waves an arm in her direction. "Found her soulmate, who is one of the most sought after death eaters in the world. That's where she's been the past few days." Hermione shakes her head, refusing to believe the facts she knows are true.

 "Please, it wasn't like that. I was kidnapped."

 "Yet you come back right as rain, with once crappy clothes now good as new. Explain that to me, because I sure as hell don't understand how kidnapping works."

 She sighs and lets her hands slide down and away from her neck as she looks away in shame when the Weasley twins and Matriarch stare at the revealed ink. "No, Ron, I- it wasn't like what you're thinking. I was taken against my will yes, but I wasn't mistreated, if anything I was treated like royalty. I was allowed my own time and space to slowly figure things out. The only reason why I'm here now and not in the hands of the Dark Lord, is because my soulmate feared I'd be killed, and so, apparated me here, which I will have you know severely threatens their life."

 Molly flops back into one of the two warn armchairs, staring blankly at her shoes.

 "I got to know them, I got to _see_ them. I got to _feel_ , them. My God! I never knew having a soulmate could do this to you." The reactions Bellatrix had evoked merely by thinking about her, was enough to have her orgasming on the spot.

 Her body definitely reacted in magnificent ways and if this distance between them will last any longer, she thinks she might just melt.

 Molly looks up. "Hermione....who is your soulmate?"

 Hermione goes straight to telling her, but hesitates, does she really want her reaction? Does she really want to possibly be outcast, a lonely life?

 Well. You know what they say in the muggle world, YOLO.

 "Bellatrix Black."


	3. Her point still stands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny sees the new tat and Hermione does some consulting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, when you're saying 'dank memes' you're actually saying uncomfortably moist memes. :)

 A deadly silence she's only known from deserted libraries meets her. She dare not look up and see the horror she knows to be etched into their features.

 She knows she should be guilty, but she isn't.

 She fiddles with the end of her wand, a habit she's picked up when she's anxious, and waits. Their reactions can't really be _that_ bad....can they?

 There's a tut and she soon finds warm, motherly arms wrapping around her lithe frame. She happily rests her head on the older witch's mass of ginger hair and hugs her back. "I'm sorry Mrs Weasley, I'm so sorry. I just can't find it in me to be sorry." The Weasley matriarch tuts again and rubs a soothing hand up and down her back.

 "It's alright dear, these things can't be helped. Now, are you hungry? I made Fred make some veg soup." The ginger witch pulls back and cups one of Hermione's cheeks, looking tenderly up at the tall girl how only a mother can.

 The brunette nods and lets out a relieved smile. Not caring much about the other Weasley reactions and happily taking the seat closest to the hob.

 She smiles gratefully as a large bowl of piping hot soup is placed in-front of her and happily digs in. "You always make the best soup Fred." The boy in question laughs and agrees.

 "Don't ever let George cook, the Burrow would be burnt to the ground before we managed to get out." His brother playfully pushes him. The gaggle of gingers seem to have calmed down exponentially and Hermione revels in the fact that they have once again, lived up to being her second family.

***

 "Hermione?" The brunette squints a single eye open, not able to see much in the darkened room.

 "Yeah?" She's met with silence, so she asks again. "What's up Gin?"

 A sigh comes form the other side of the room, and she smiles at her friend's dallying. "Can I....Can I look at it?" Hermione pushes herself up on her elbows and squints through the darkness, just about able to see in the light of the moon. The curtains cover a lot of the light up, but the moon seems to be particularly bright tonight and light manages to seep in, from underneath the door as well.

 Ginny huffs and then roles around in her bed before throwing her duvet off and sitting on the edge of the bed.

 "Can I look at it? Your soul mark." Hermione hesitates for a moment, but then caves ad stands up, flicks her wrist and a single candle flickers to life on their shared chest-of-draws. She looks expectantly at the youngest Weasley, who's still perched on the edge of her bed and turns so that she can pull her tank top off and cover her chest in the process.

 She then turns so that Ginny can see her tattooed torso and sweeps her mass of hair out of the way.

 "Woah." A second later and cold fingers are just barely tracing around the outside of one of Hogwart's towers. "It's _beautiful_."

 Hermione huffs out a laugh and nods. "Yeah it is." She continues to look down at the floor, starting to fidget uncomfortably as Ginny continues to stare at skin she's never let anybody else, other than Bellatrix, see.

 She shivers as Ginny travels further into the soul mark, and traces over the panther who seems to stalk anyone that sees it. "She really is beautiful Gin." The fingers trailing over her ribs come to a halt as the ginger looks up.

 "Who?"

 "Bella." SHe breathes, letting the name slide out on a long sigh. How does she miss someone she's only known for a few days. _So much_?

 The fingers that had stopped, start up again and she can feel them trace lower, to where the very bottom of her tattoo dips out of sight below her Pyjama shorts. She looks down at the younger girl, who's gazing at all the detail etched into her skin.

 "She must really love you." Hermione startles, jerking away from the touch.

 "L-love? What?"

 "Well....for your soul mark to be so defined....it must come from a place of absolute devotion. I can even see each individual blade of grass, even the silhouettes of students in the windows. This amount of detail doesn't come from a light-hearted summer love." Ginny finishes, and straightens back up, her back cracking as she does so.

 Hermione watches the girl for a few moments in disbelief, before shaking her head. "You're delusional Gin."

 The younger witch watches as the brunette hastily pulls her top back on and retreats back to her bed, making sure to pull the covers as far over her head as her feet poking out of the end will allow.

 "Gin!"

 "Yes?"

 "Go, to sleep." She can feel the ginger's gaze on her, before a shuffle and an 'umph' as she flops down onto her bed.

 Hermione holds her breath until the candle's blown out and Ginny's breathing finally evens out, before sighing and clutching the cream sheets closer to her, wishing it were something else entirely.

***

 Her morning is rudely interrupted by a persistent nagging in her side. Why would her side nag? one wonders.

 She grumbles and turns over with a huff, the morning light is just barely bright enough to see clearly, it's too early for a naggy side. That is, until her eyes fly open and she sits bolt upright clutching her ribs.

Now she's more awake, the nag turns into more of a slow burn and she just knows her soulmate is it's source.

 "Hermione?" Ginny grumbles from under her duvet, her legs kicking out in an attempt to get comfortable, until she can't and throws her covers off with an indignant grunt. "What's up?" She sighs.

 Hermione just looks at her, her hand still resting on her side and her mouth agape. "'Mione?" Hermione looks down to where her tattoo is and then back to Ginny.

 "I-it's, she's...she's in trouble Gin. And I can't do anything to help." Hermione looks back down to her side and surprises herself with the sob that tears through her throat. "She's in trouble, and I can't _help_." She whispers, and takes comfort in her friend's arms that soon find their way around her shoulders.

 "She's a big girl 'Mione, she's more than capable of looking after herself."

 "Not if her tormentor's Voldemort Gin, not if it's him." She doesn't care to notice the girl tense.

 "I'm sure she's fine, probably just fallen down the stairs or something." Hermione laughs at how impossible that could be. The woman caries herself with such grace it'd be impossible for her to trip on even the most obscure of objects.

***

 Her strained grunt fills the silence as she writhes about on the floor.

 "You let her go!?" Another wave of torment slams into her. Her head bangs loudly into the chair she'd fallen off, but she knows better than to get any louder.

 Her lord changes to a different spell forcing her to bend backwards. The room can hear as her back cracks and groans under the strain of the spell. Her bare teeth are clenched so tightly she thinks her gums have started to bleed.

 But finally it stops, her Lord knows she will be needed. She's allowed to pant for a few moments, gathering enough strength to collect herself before she's able to roll onto her knees before her Lord.

 "M-my Lord." Her voice is harsh and gravelly as it's forced through over-strained vocal chords.

 "Get out of my sight." He hisses. She reaches through her mind to that of her sister and the blonde gladly apparates into the room, retrieves her broken sister and apparates back out.

****

 Hermione breathes a sigh of relief over breakfast as the burning in her side stops. Ginny casts a knowing look at her whereas the rest of the table carries on with their daily routine.

 "So Hermione..." She looks over to where Ron's finished scoffing his breakfast. "What's it feel like to be soulmates with a world class, most wanted, death eater?"

 Hermione laughs, startling those around her who had fallen into a tense silence. "Pretty painful as I've recently found out. So yeah." She hears Ginny snort across from her and she can't help the smirk that tugs at the corner of her lips.

 "It's also made my life really interesting, you know, not knowing if your soulmate's gonna kill you or not. It's a right roller coaster."

 The youngest Weasley bursts out laughing and slaps the table with mirth. "I don't even know what roller coaster means." She fruitlessly wipes away the tears streaming down her cheeks as a few chuckles still tumble past her lips.

 "However, and I will make this very clear. She is mine, the same as I am hers, and I won't hesitate to kill to get to her." The atmosphere had turned very tense as she looks each and every one of them in the eyes.

 With that point out in the open she decides to make her exit. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to do. Have a good day....oh, and Mrs Weasley, thank you for breakfast it was delicious."

 "It's alright my dear, make sure to visit again." The brunette smiles and nods before noisily pushing her chair back in and leaving.

 She's just managed to step outside of the Burrow's defences when she hears Ginny come running out to her. "Wait....Hermione. Merlin's knee can you walk!" She comes to a clumsy stop, bending over and gripping her lower thigh as she tries to gain her breath.

 "Where will you go?"

 "Well, I thought, seeing as there's two days until the end of half term, I'd make my way back to Hogwarts." Ginny eyes her suspiciously before nodding.

 "Well....well if you need anything...." Hermione smiles her thanks before turning away and apparating to her third home.

 She sighs as her stomach stops churning and she can find her bearings, taking in the musky scent and dank walls. Hogwarts has always seemed homely, even with it's massive corridors and dungeon like rooms. Here's where she learnt about her magical self, here's where she figured out what her powers were, here is her connection away from the muggle world.

 The clicking of heals interrupts her silent breathing and she swivels round in time to see one Professor Trelawny appear from behind the stone. "Miss Granger? What are you doing here so early?"

 "I wanted to speak to a few Professors, Professor." She smiles kindly at the older witch, who adjusts her glasses and scratches her the back of her head.

 "Well, best get going then. There are usually a few students who turn up early as well." The brunette nods and walks along with the divination teacher.

 They make their way up the Grand staircase in the entrance hall and up another flight of moving stairs before Hermione has to excuse herself.

 "Oh, and Hermione." The brunette stops and hums, finding it weird for the Professor to use her first name. "Let your soul do the walking hmm?" She raises her eyebrows, silently asking if Hermione had heard, she had but didn't understand.

 "Y-yes Professor." The Teacher smiles and carries on up the next flight of stairs. She watches her go. " _Weird_." She mumbles before turning back round and carrying on.

 The younger witch manages to get to her destination without bumping into anyone, anyone being, teacher, ghost or student.

 She raps on the large door three times before stepping back and waiting.

 The door opens and she makes her way through, smiling pleasantly at the different portraits of past headmasters and mistresses, who pass pleasantries back. Her attention's finally drawn to the grand writing desk and, more importantly, the figure sat at it, hunched over piles upon piles of paper.

 "Professor Dumbledore."

 The wizard in question looks up and his eyes twinkle knowingly behind his spectacles. "Aaah, Hermione. How nice of you to join me." The brunette nods and sits down in one of two big, velvet armchairs.

 "Thank you for letting me." She reclines in the chair, letting her hands slide along the armrests that dwarf her arms. The whole chair seems to dwarf her.

 "Now...tell me, what brings you here." He tilts his head so that he's looking at her over his half-moon glasses, moving to fold his hands over the still drying ink.

 "Oh, Professor, we both know you know. _That_ ' _s_ what I've come to you for." He hums and she waits, but he doesn't seem to be too keen on carrying on, so she does instead. "Well, I thought, she must have been here when you were here. You must know her best....what was she like?"

 The old wizard sighs and relaxes back into his chair and taps his fingers together. "I will start by saying that information comes best from it's source. However, she was a prankster, always cracking jokes and constantly dishing out sarcasm. On the other hand, she was incredibly intelligent, still is, I found she got bored by others easily and was already five steps ahead of everyone else, including the teachers and the school curriculum. Hence why she was so sarcastic." He tilts his head back down from looking up at the ceiling. "The rest...you will need to find out on your own."

 "But I want to know her, understand her, get her you know?"

 "Yes, I do. But you need to ask her, not me, nor her sisters, her. Understand?" Hermione nods reluctantly and then stands up.

 She hesitates for a moment before turning back round from next to the chair, the way Dumbledore smiles tells her he was expecting it. "What did Professor Trelawny mean by 'let your soul do the walking'?" The old wizard just smiles kindly and sets back to his paperwork.

 She sighs, then makes her way out.

 Why do all the teachers here have to be so mysterious? Yeah, it might be a wizardry school, but her point still stands.


	4. How many letters?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione gets quite a few letters, and Bella comes up with a terrifically terrible idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's actually been in the works for a good couple of weeks, however, Imma blame the lateness on AS levels so...

  The next two weeks or so were relatively normal. If by covering up every inch of the inked skin is normal in her mind. Then yes, the past fortnight was normal.

 They were all down in the great hall eating their breakfast when Professor Dumbledore sands up and hush falls over the room’s occupants.

 “Now, as you are all aware, Christmas is almost upon us.” Joyous murmurs spread out across the room, but falls silent again when the Headmaster holds his hand up. “And, the tri-wizard tournament was last year also, I have discussed with my fellow Professors, that there will be a formal dinner when the Yule ball was. This is a chance to mingle with other houses. You may bring dates, as is proper, enjoy the rest of the day.” He sits back down and the whispers turn into full blown shouts of excitement about the upcoming dinner and Christmas holidays.

 “I can’t wait.” An excited squeal from the youngest Weasley makes her look over with a smile. “I wonder who’s gonna be my date, I still haven’t figured out who my soulmate is yet.”

 “Really? Have you had your soul-tat?”

 Ginny nods enthusiastically and thrusts her right wrist in-front of her face. “Look” the silhouette of a severed nargal’s head pokes out of the bottom of her sleeve, but instead of the neck dripping black or red it’s a multitude of dripping colours, like rain on a window pane.

 Hermione gawps at the tattoo. “Oh, don’t tell me, you know who it is too?” Hermione nods with a cringe as the ginger throws her arms up. “Merlin’s hairy chin, why can’t _I_ work this out? At least tell me whether I know them or not?” She looks from Hermione to the boys sat across from them, deep in their own conversations.

 “Yes.” Hermione smirks and pats the girl’s hand sympathetically.

 “Do I see them on a regular basis?”

 “How am I supposed to know that? You’ve definitely hung out with them though.” Ginny nods, deep in thought. She starts stroking her chin like an old and wise wizard would if they ahd a beard. She even adds in a mystified hhmmm.

 “Are they Gryffindor?”

 “Ginny!”

 “Okay, okay. No more questions.” She holds hr hands up and glances down at her half empty plate of food, she looks up at the brunette from under lashes. “Are they good looking?” Hermione sends a glare her way.

 The rest of breakfast is relatively tense between the two as Ginny occasionally looks up, question poised on the tip of her tongue, only to be shot down again and again by a harsh glare from the older lion.

 “I’m sure, with time, you will figure out who it is. It’s definitely obvious, who it is though.” Hermione gestures to the girl’s wrist with a nod of her head.

 Ginny nods and inspects it closely for the fifth time. “…what is it?”

 “What’s what?”

 “My nips … _what do you think_?!” The brunette huffs and turns to the girl, who thrusts said wrist right in-front of her nose.

 “Ginny!” She says, exasperated at her friend’s complete and utter lack of personal bubbles. “It’s a nargal, that’s the last thing I’m going to tell you.”

 Ginny nods and then goes back to her food. – Finally, I might actually be able to finish my food. – She aggressively stabs at her scrambled eggs, they’re slightly watery and the excess liquid has by now, soaked into her toast.

 “Nargals?” She hears from next to her. “Who even _likes_ Nargals?” Then ... “Hey Seamus!”

 “Ginny! Leave him to his … charcoal.” The boy in question has a slice of toast half way to his mouth that’s so black it could easily be used as graphite.  

 The ginger girl huffs. “Fine.”

 The rest of the day goes off without a hitch, if constantly being pestered by the youngest Weasley every chance she got accounted to a good day.

 At the end of the day, when everybody had sat down for tea, the usual late postal deliveries fly in; a select few actually getting anything. Unusually she’s one of the select few and those sat around her eye the envelope curiously.

 Deep green with elegant gold writing and a black wax seal.

 “Huh, wonder who that could be off?” She looks up at Harry and spies a head of blonde hair far behind him. The pair of blue eyes watch her closely, a light smirk on his lips as he takes a swig from his goblet.

 She shrugs, feigning ignorance and peels the seal off with shaky hands. She sighs hotly before pulling out a letter, a lighter green than its envelope counterpart, but no less royal, and instead of gold ink, it’s silver. At the top and bottom are elegant silver swirls, framing the writing.

 The letter starts off with her name, the H in Lime Glory font and the rest of her name and letter written in dyspepsia. She frowns at such formality.

 Hermione Granger,

You have been invited to attend the Malfoy Masquerade ball.

It is on Sunday, the 17th at 8:20pm – 2:00am

Venue - Malfoy Manor

Dancing and Buffet

Theme – Black, white, Gold, Green

 

 Underneath the writing is a cursive B in a completely different font, and the brunette can’t help but run her fingers over the slightly raised ink.

 She looks up to the blonde head of hair over Harry’s shoulder and smiles, the answering nod lets her look back down at the letter and runs her finger over the B again. Something tells her she won’t be letting this invite go for a while.

 She can feel her sixth sense tingling and looks up to find Ginny watching her with a suspicious squint.

 “Soooooo..” She trails off, looking down at the letter still lightly grasped in her hands and back up again. “What iiiis it?” Hermione looks down to the invite too and she can’t help but brush her thumb over the B once again as she looks back up.

 “I’ve been invited to a masquerade.” It takes Ginny a few seconds, you can see the cogs turning until they stop and her eyes brighten and a devious grin stretched her cheeks.

 She leans in close and whispers, “Lemme guess…your dark witch?” The ginger pulls back in time to catch the furious blush and shy dip of her head.

 “G-ginny.” She splutters. “She isn’t _my_ witch.” She harshly fires.

 The raised eyebrow says it all, making her already roaring red blush spread to her neck. “Will you please stop?” The younger girl grins and carries on eating with a shrug.

 “Go on then, who’s ball actually is it?” The brunette huffs, but looks over Harry’s shoulder - the boy in question far too preoccupied with watching Ron fit as much mash into his gob as possible - and at the youngest Malfoy.

 He tenses when he realises someone’s watching him and looks up, immediately catching her honeyed gaze. She quickly flits her eyes over to the ginger, oblivious to the intense exchange right next to her. He gives a small nod and goes back to listening to Goyle, who hadn’t stopped talking.

 The brunette turns to Ginny, huffing out her nose. “You can’t let anyone else know, Gin.” The girl looks at her with wide eyes, but nods hurriedly. She leans in, “It’s from the Malfoy’s, it’s a Malfoy Masquerade.” Ginny gasps and looks back to Hermione.

 “The _Malfoys_?” She murmurs, Hermione nods, keeping a straight face. There’s a moment where the youngest ginger’s brain whirs and then her eyes light up and she shoves the brunette’s shoulder. “We need to go shopping!  I know the perfect mask.”

***

 “My Lord, may I make a suggestion?”

 Her lord’s eyes focus on her, after scowling at Yaxley at the end of the table, and tilts his head.

 “A ball, my Lord.”

 “A ball?” The dark witch nods.

 “A masquerade to be precise. It allows you to attract more followers by covertly interacting with them.” The Dark Lord squints in thought at Bellatrix then starts to nod. Nagini slides further down the back of the chair so her chin rests on his shoulder.

 He hums, “Yes, well done Bella.” He turns to the rest sat at the table with austere eyes. “You have failed to please me, I am very disappointed.” Nagini hisses in agreement, her own beady black eyes staring into each and every one of them.

 “Bella.” He turns to his most faithful. “I will award you.” He looks expectantly at the dark witch, the other room’s occupants watching her out of trepidation.

 She grins from beneath her curtain of hair. “I want to take my mate to the ball.” The dark wizard’s eyes widen comically.

 “What?! You can’t!” She ignores her husband’s exclamation, intent on seeing her master’s reaction.

 His eyes still comically wide, he falls back against his chair, Nagini slithering back to rest back on the top of the wood back.

 “Master, you can’t seriously be considering this.” Bellatrix’s eye twitches, hoping he will be in favour of her proposition.

 “She can’t, because she has to take me. She has to accompany me, and me only!”

 Bella tilts her head, concerned with the fact that her Lord might actually be considering refusing her wish. Her negative train of thoughts is halted when a quiet but forceful “yes” sounds from the head of the table.

 “You can’t be serious! She’s allowed to take a boy toy?” The glare sent further down the table silenced any more protests and Bella grins.

 She slowly leans forward, turning her head to where her husband sits two seats down, and grins maliciously.

 ***

 “Another letter?” She looks to the side where Harry sits, Ron and Ginny sat opposite them, and nods.

 “OOoohh, who’s it from.” Ginny leans in constitutionally. “Mum, dad? Muggle friend? … secret admirer?”

 “Ginny!” A blush spreads over her cheeks as she inspects the unfamiliar handwriting.

 She pries the envelope open and pulls out a single twice folded piece of paper.

  _My beloved kitten,_

_I apologise for the sudden mail, but I thought to write to you explaining what will happen concerning the ball._

_As you may very well know your Christmas holidays will start on the 21 st, so I have booked a private room in the three broomsticks, I will have put up wards. You will find a dress I have chosen and matching jewellery, I know you will love them. I will pick you up at 8:40, it looks good to be fashionably late after all. _

_My undying love,_

_Panther._

 Her attention was drawn upwards by the youngest Weasley’s burning gaze. “So?”

 A small, lopsided smile started to form, “we don’t need to go shopping.” Ginny squeals and wiggles her arms about, in turn knocking Ron’s arm causing the piece of toast lathered in butter to hit his cheek instead.

 She jumps up and waggles a hand at the brunette. “Come on! Come on!” Hermione slowly stands up and hops out from under the table, avoiding the questioning gaze of the two lads.

 Ginny starts to jog down her side of the table, Hermione running after her on her own side.

 She follows the youngest Weasley up the grand staircase, all the way up to the Gryffindor tower. By the time they get there, they’re both panting hard, Ginny leaning against a wall. “Right…first, let me read that letter.”

 Hermione nods and hurriedly searches through her robes to find the letter, she passes it to the ginger.

 She watches intently as the girl’s eyes get bigger and bigger, the smile on her face growing wider and wider. “Right! Well, second we need to write her a letter.”

 “What for?”

 “To see if I can help you get ready, duh. Something this big can’t be done without the handy hands of your best friend.” She rolls her eyes and Hermione nods.

 “Fair enough. Wait! But this’ll be my first letter to her, I don’t know how to write her, what if it goes wrong? What if she thinks I’m being Naïve…What if I’m not actually her soulmate!”

 A resounding slap pushes into the air, leaving a shocked Hermione holding her cheek and red-faced Ginny huffing and holding her hips. “Puh-leez. Your line of thinking is ridiculous, she won’t think you naïve and it won’t go wrong, because you two are quite clearly soulmates if those _massive_ tattoos say anything. Now, come sit down, and help me help you compile a letter.

 Hermione stutters as she watches the ginger flounce over to the table just beneath one of three slim windows.

 The youngest Weasley looks over at her and after a moment makes a shooing motion. “Go!”

 Hermione does, even if she rivfals through her stuff to find parchment and quil, seemingly out of it until she gets back to Ginny, who had been impatiently drumming her fingers whilst looking at what little sky she can through the window.

 She sits down with a sigh, and poises above the parchment with her quill.

 “Right, the aim of this letter, to get her to let me to help you get ready.” Hermione frowns down at the paper. “Start with something like, Oh my deareasty dearest of all people, my heart, my soul, my everything… Something like that.” She glances up at the ginger, horrified.

 “I might not be the greatest romantic, but that was just straight up blue stilton.” The younger girl rolls her eyes.

 “I dunno then, write what you will. But you need to include the fact that I’m helping you get ready.” The brunette gives a single firm nod, and wills her hand to move.

  She only has to wait a few seconds before her brain conjures up _something_ and words are actually scribbled down. She’s barely aware of the grin on Ginny’s face.

 By the time she’d written everything jumbling up her mind, her heart’s aching and it’s only when a tissue’s passed to her by the youngest Weasley that she realises she’s been crying. There are a few tear stains on the page.

 “Oooohhh, my lil’ pudding’s written her first love letter.” Ginny squeals, clasping her hands together and wriggling in her seat.

 “It isn’t a big deal Gin.” The look on a reddened, freckled face says it all.

“Did you remember to write about me helping you?...Okay.” She says and whips the paper from underneath Hermione’s clawed fingers and writes a little bit at the end. She shoves it back across the table with an arched eyebrow. “ _Don’t_ _worry_ , I didn’t read any of your soppy drivel.” She rolls her eyes.

 “I thought you were meant to be a supportive best friend?”

 “You love me really.

 “Yes, yes I do.”

***

 “Are you insane?! What could possibly have been going through your head! Inviting a muggleborn!” The blonde tuts. “She’s your intended, of course the Dark lord will want to meet her.” The youngest Black sister starts to pace. “What if he finds out, then we’ll all be punished.” Bellatrix huffs and continues to swing her leg back and forth.

 “Will you calm down? My hair’s falling out just by looking at you stressing.” The blonde stops pacing to glare at her eldest sister.

 “Well one of us has to, you’ve put yourself and your mate in danger. You know if one of his most trusted has their mate he’s going to want to know exactly who they are, what they do…who’s side they’re on. The moment he finds anything suspicious she’s dead.” Narcissa, in a wholly uncharacteristically unladylike fashion, drags her index finger across her throat.

 “…well, I’ll have to figure that out then, won’t I? I can easily bring her, have a few dances, drinks and then take her back. Easy peasey.”

 “Bella!” The Malfoy matriarch says in exasperation. “It’s not as simple as that.”

 “….It really is Cissta.” The dark witch downs the glass of chardonnay she’d completely forgotten about and smacks her lips. “I feel a brew coming on.”

 “You’re seriously worse than a five-year-old, I should know, I raised one. Can you please try to keep your attention span for a little longer while we figure out what we’re going to do about your mate and Lord?”

 Bellatrix looks up to the blonde from the empty glass and contemplates the younger witch for a second. Her foot stills.

 “I will write her tonight, I will pick her up and drop her off, during the ball she will stay with me or Draco and you, she will remain in the ball room and she will be safe as Our Lord will stay in the meeting room with Severus.” She nods with finality and huffs a stray hair out of her eye.

 Now, she’d better let Narcissa invite their dress-maker and ensure they know to make the dress exactly how she wants it. Kitten will be the belle of the ball.


	5. how scandalous of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they enter the soiree, a certain husband typically appears (but it wouldn't be a bellamione fic if he wasn't at least mentioned) food and dance occur.

 

 A few days before the ball and Hermione’s a nervous wreck, her leg constantly bouncing and her nails now bitten down to stumps. To say she’s anxious is an understatement.

 Sat in the common room, forgotten book in hand, with her reading glasses hanging off her finger on the other and a spot on the wall that’s been intriguing her for the past seventeen minutes. Suddenly a hand comes swinging over and hits in the face.

 “Uughhh.” She grunts, covering her face with both hands, nearly prodding herself in the eye with her glasses. “Goooodd. What was _that_ for?”

 “ _That_ , was for being an anxious mess. I can’t be in the same room as you without being forced into my own anxious mess. You need to stahp.” Ginny’s face appears just in her line of sight as her terrible American lilt to the last sentence comes to a close.

 “Doesn’t mean you have to slap me in the face, I could have gotten a broken nose, then what would they think of me. That I’m some ruffian picked up off the streets? I think not, thank you very much.” She pushes her eyebrows up matter of factly whilst crossing her arms.

 “Oh, stop being so _boring_. I rather happen to like bad girls, if our friendship says anything. You’re bad…at everything.”

 “What! Go on name something I’m bad at.”

 “Gimme a wink.”

 Hermione squints at the younger Gryffindor but does so anyway; she ends up scrunching her cheeks up and blinking with both eyes anyway. She huffs. “Welll….well you can’t do the pat head rub tummy test.” She juts her chin out and wiggles it. “So meeeh.”

 “Childish.”

 “Scuse you, you started it, don’t start things you can’t finish.” Ginny rolls her eyes and jumps over the back of the sofa, making the brunette bounce and drop the book in her lap.

 “You needn’t worry, you’ll have me there to make sure you actually turn up. Just think, how would she react If you weren’t there? Ready? Willing?” She pats the brunette’s knee and inhales. “Now…I’m hungry, and I swear to Merlin’s hair-“

 “Ginny!”

 “What? I was gonna say haiiirryyyyy…big toe.” The red-head nods and folds her arms as if yep, that was what she was definitely going to say.

 “You’re insufferable, y’know that?” Hermione huffs out and looks forlornly down at her disguarded book.

 “Yes, I know, now, come. You can see my stomach is currently eating me alive.” She slaps a hand to the older Gryffindor’s back and they make their way down to the Hall.

***

 “Now, they say, when in doubt chop it off. But I don’t think you’d take too kindly to that suggestion.” The brunette glares at her friend in the mirror.

 Tonight’s the masquerade, and her nerves are wrecking havoc on the tendons in her ankle, as she forces her leg to keep bouncing.

 “A bit of this, bit o’ that….there, done!” She presses her fingers to her mouth and with a loud smack says “Mwah.” Ginny cockily digs her hand into her hip as the other curls under her lower lip. “Yes, yes, not tooting my own horn buuuuttt, you look absolutely stunning.”

 Hermione finally looks from Ginny to her own reflection and gasps, barely recognising her reflected self.

 “Oh, _Ginny_.” She carefully feels around her hair, curling a finger though one of the loose strands tucked behind her ear. Her hair in a bun, her curls jutting out making it look gravity defying, little twisty translucent gold jewels are curled into her hair, dotted mostly around her bun and back of her head and tapering off closer to the front.

 “Yes, yes, thank you. I take full credit of finally managing to wrestle Hermione Granger’s hair into a decent look.” She bows to no-one and then goes to the wardrobe, which houses the brunette’s dress.

 The Red-head had forced her to not look at the dress until she put it on.

 She continues looking at her hair, from left to right to struggling to see the back when Ginny cuts her out of it. “Now…I’m going to blind you until your dress is on, no peaking.” With a flick of her wand a strapless sleeping mask appears over her eyes and she grabs onto the vanity from the sudden light change.

 Her hands are pried away from the innocent wood and guided to what must be the middle of the room, she is then helped to strip. “Ginny! W-what are you doing?” She cries, slapping at the hands trying to pry her bra off.

 “I’m putting you in some decent lingerie. If your soulmate were to finally bed you, you don’t want to be in this ratty old thing.” She finally pries the bra off and slaps it against the brunette’s arm.

 “It’s not ratty, it’s comfortable.” She mumbles, tightening her arms around her bare chest.

 “Well, I’m sure you can be uncomfortable for one night.” A prod to her side makes her yelp. “Now, you’re gonnna have to put your knickers on, and I am _not_ going anywhere near your vagina.” Thin, silk knickers are shoved into her arms, right between her boob crack and then footsteps and a squeak indicates the red-head to be sat on the bed.

 “…Are you looking?”

 “No, I’m not looking.”

 “Are you sure?”

 “Yes.”

 A beat of silence. “Turn away Gin.”

 “I already am Hermione, look, I’ll cover my eyes.” A resounding slap. “That better?”

She nods slightly and, after a few more seconds strips herself of her underwear, quickly sliding the other pair on. The new pair are soft and slide up her legs easily, the edges sitting just above where her butt cheeks start.

 “If your soulmate doesn’t bed you soon, I think I just might.”

 “GINNY!”

 “Okay, okay…dress!” And just like that Hermione’s embarrassment and flaming red cheeks, ears and chest are ignored and a thick smooth, silk like material slides over her head.

 “…Ginny…bra?”

 “You won’t need one mate, trust me.” They struggle with each other for a few moments as she tries to pull her arms through barely big enough holes and the rest of the dress flops down, over her torso, hips and legs. She can feel it brush her toes.

 “I just need to do the neck things … and you’re done.” The younger girl steps round Hermione to her back and pulls the front of the dress up until a thick collar, reaching her hairline is tugged around her neck and two fastenings are looped together. She also feels those two hands reach round and nudge her boobs about until the uncomfortable bumps in the dress move and slide over her chest. “There, done. That’s why you din’t need a bra.”

 The brunette feels hands sliding over her form smoothing out any bumps and tugging the dress to fit properly. “God does she know style.”

 Ginny guides Hermione over to what must be the full-length mirror and just like that the blindfold is removed and she blinks rapidly until the room falls back into focus.

 One look at her dress and she struggles not to cry. “ _Oh my_. It’s beautiful.” She turns side to side, letting the loose fabric sway around her legs. It’s a matt silver silk keipo, with a slight split travelling up her calves on both sides. A gentle spray of styalised lillies decorates the chest, following the line that holds the zigzagged seem. Her back is bare, the sides of the dip reaching to where her more prominent ribs are and dips down to rest just at the start of the swell of her backside; and the bottom of the dress does reach her toes.

 “All we need now are your shoes and the mask. But I think the mask’s gonna arrive with _Miss Black_.” She titters at her own light teasing and then goes back to the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of simple white flats.

 After she had put the shoes on she’s forced to stay stood, in the middle of the room as they wait for Bellatrix to arrive, all the while Hermione glares at Ginny who’s sprawled out luxuriously, rubbing in the brunette’s face that she’s not allowed to sit.

 Ginny has just stuck her tongue out at her when she came up with a whitty remark when a third body apparates into the room in a swirl of black cloak and curly hair.

 Ginny silently shuffles further away as she watches on.

 “Bella.” The older witch straightens up and turns around slowly, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, my beautiful Bella. I have missed you.” And without thinking, the dark witch finds arms clamped tightly around her neck and a cool face pressed into her jaw.

 “Hello kitten. You look stunning.” She moves the younger witch to arm’s length and admires the view, being slightly shorter even though she’s in heels she can still see all of Hermione.

 The brunette grins shyly and wrings the same loose curl from before around her finger abashedly. “You do too my Bella. I love the dress, thank you.” She rubs her fingers over the fabric and admires what she can see.

 “Mmmhh, I wanted something to really show you off as mine.” A hand comes to rest over her bare tattooed side and her thumb slips beneath the fabric, rubbing gently at her smooth skin. “Tonight, I will show you off, you will be the centrepiece of the ball.”

 She rubs her other thumb over her jaw and just smiles up at her. The roaring red blush that Ginny had invoked through embarrassment had simmered down to a rose pink due to the loving look Bella was giving her.

 “Now, I hadn’t mentioned I’d be bringing the mask in the letter, but I am and I have also brought your jewellery.” She steps back, rummages around in her cloak and pulling out, first, a black rectangular box, silver writing engraved into the velvet. Then the mask.

 She’s given the box first and she readily opens it, eager to see its contents, she was not disappointed.

 Sat on typical maroon velvet, is a gold bracelet made to look like a branch of a blossom tree. The ‘stem’ twisting elegantly, interwoven with little rose gold blossoms.

 “This is for me?” She looks up at Bella, her hand hovering over the box and its contents. The dark witch nods and carefully picks it up, she holds it out, letting Hermione slip her hand through the metal until it rests on her wrist.

 She carefully thumbs one of the little blossoms and smiles.

 “Now, not forgetting your mask, kitten.” The brunette nods and looks up from admiring her new bracelet.

 In Bella’s hands is what looks like a decorated silver opera mask, with the chin missing. Up one side are blossoms like her bracelet in both rose gold and gold, the branch stretching across her forehead imitating her eyebrows. Little gold specks cluster together at the base of the stem and gradually disperse the further up and across it rises.

 Hermione’s left speechless as the same hand goes back to her jaw. “It’s light due to the porcelain it’s made from.” The brunette smiles and looks up from the mask. “And maybe just a little bit of magic.”

 “Would you put it on please?” Bella smiles and then nods, the usual rebel curl falling over part of her face. Her hair half up half down, keeping the majority of it pinned behind her shoulders.

 The dark witch gently twists her around and picks the mask up from in-front of Hermione to place lightly over her face. She breathes out as those tender fingers drag past the porcelain and beneath her hair, taking the ribbon with it. Two bows, one above and one below her bun are tied. She sighs into the finger tips pressing themselves into the soft hair at the back of her head.

 “Perfect. Shall we?” A husky voice whispers beside her and she grins, catching Ginny’s eye, who’s smirking over at her best friend.

 She nods and waves to the fiery redhead as an arm wraps around her waist and a tug behind her belly button jerks her along with the warm body pressed against her back.

 “Welcome, officially, to Malfoy Manor.” Hermione looks up in awe at the imposing mansion.

 Her eyes are comically wide as she looks from white wall to massive Mill like windows to the front door where a large overhang that covers the double doors; so large it needs it’s own pillars, the doors are open allowing guests to come and go as they please.

 “It seems so much bigger than when I was in it with you and the Malfoys.”

 “That’s because we were only in one area, there are numerous dining rooms, bedrooms and corridors. I haven’t counted the actual amount though, far too boring.” Hermione nods in agreement as she spies a young man with a half-moon mask on, waiting by the open gates.

 She’s pushed forward, making the man look from inside the front garden to the pair coming closer. “Ah, Bella, I wondered when you’d get here. Mother said you’d be late.” The dark witch behind her steps further from behind her, although the arm wrapped around her waist only tightens.

 “Now, now Draco. I prefer to call it fashion.” She tilts her head and stares squarely at the man and pushes her shoulders back.

 Hermione snorts and only then does her school mate’s attention move to her. From the wide eyes and slackened jaw, Hermione knows he’s shocked.

 “Granger! Good gravy, I would never have recognised you.” A light blush dots her cheek as she looks at Bella then back to Draco.

 “I’ll take that as a compliment Mr Malfoy. You are looking rather dashing yourself.” She nods once, taking in his suit in one go, pinstriped grey with a striped black and white tie.

 He gulps audibly and readjusts the knot in his tie. “Mother would only have me in the best. It seems like Aunty Bella is the same.” She smiles and reaches up and behind her to stroke at Bella’s cheek, or what isn’t covered by her own eye mask, taking the shape of a panther – typical.

 “I only provide the best for her because she deserves the best, you on the other hand-“ She leaves the sentence dangling and the brunette laughs at the indignant frown that pulls at Malfoy’s lips.

 “Right, enough of the conversing, go inside before mother rips your head off. I will join you once the last few guests arrive.” Bellatrix chuckles and guides Hermione away from the front gates and up to the open doors, feeling a weird sickening dizziness as she passes through wards.

 “Don’t worry about the wards, Cissy has altered them to only let you through.” She whispers, caressing her side.

 “Nice to know I’m not going to be chopped to pieces before I even get the chance to properly know you, _tiger_.” The hand at her side clenches showing her that Bella heard very well and is absolutely delighted by the nickname.

 “Watch your luck kitten, I might just be the big cat you named me after.” Hermione titters and carries on walking, reaching the steps and taking the arm offered to her. “Right, shall we?”

 She nods and pecks the woman on the cheek, making those oh so sweet cheeks tinge just a little. The older witch smiles a little before her mouth straightens out and she stands more squarely.

 And together they make their way up the steps, through the double doors and into a raging party.

 Well, as much of a raging party as aristocratic wizard society will allow, with chattering, drinks clinking and music playing further down the entryway in the hall. “Stay close to me, and if not me then my dear Nephew Draco and his mother. At the very least, Lucius” She whispers quietly, Hermione huffs a laugh and turns slightly toward the other.

 “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you, if I were to leave your side it’d be because I’d been forced away.” Her grip tightens further around a lean bicep, accenting her point.

 “Very well.” She leads them down the long corridor, passing the occasional group or couple and pushing through another set of double doors and into one of the biggest rooms she’s ever seen.

 Tastefully decorated in elegant drapes of green and silver and silver tableware, it’s guests similarly colour coded.

 It was as if she were an open jar of honey and the other guests were bees, soon swarming around her firing off so many questions they all blur into one monotonous mess making it hard for her to hear exactly what each of the 20 or so people are asking.

 They are silenced, however, when her arm candy steps slightly in-front and simply glares. An infamous Black glare is recognisable even through the greatest of disguises. The guests around them thin out, leaving a select few either appraising or picking apart her dress; but could she care less? No, because her dress is beautiful and she is with her mate, nowhere could feel safer than at this woman’s side.

 The music grows slightly louder and partners start to dance, an unspoken circle forming around where the predetermined dance spot would be.

 She feels Bellatrix look over at her, “Kitten…care for a dance?” She slips her arm from the brunette’s grip and offers her hand instead. Hermione looks at the offered hand then into eyes so dark they could be mistaken for obsidian.

 She grins goofily and nods. “Yes, although I must warn, like in most romantic books, I cannot dance.”

 “Then, in those same books, follow my lead.” The brunette slips her fingers through Bella’s and shakily laughs.

 She holds the younger witch at a proper distance, placing the brunette’s uncaptured hand on her shoulder and placing her own on Hermione’s waist. “Now, this is a relatively slow melody, most just sway because doing anything else to this tempo is pointless.”

 Hermione looks trusting honey eyes down at her and nods slightly. “Then we shall _sway_.” She flexes her fingers and practically falls into the shorter witch, draping both arms over her shoulders.

 “Do you realise how improper this position is? It would be a _scandal_ ,” she jokes.

 “Like you care about scandals.”

 She snorts. “Yes well, I also wouldn’t mind ravishing you in-front of others, however I know you would dislike that and I don’t want any of you on display. Especially those who believe you’re here for political or marital purposes.” The dark witch lightly scratches her nails along bare inked ribs until she reaches her waist and slips her hands round to the dip in the brunette’s back; resting perfectly above rounding buttocks. “They will only be allowed to see what I let them.”

 “Oh hush, we both know I wouldn’t dress in anything too revealing, I have zero body confidence.”

 “Hmm? Then why are you this dress?” She tucks two fingers beneath the fabric just barely keeping her dignity.

 “Because you gave it to me to make me look good, I wouldn’t be wearing it if anybody else had given it to me. I am for your eyes only, and vice versa.”

 “Vice versa?” Hermione nods then turns them until she can see the doors they entered through.

 “A muggle saying for the other way around.“ She gazes down at the woman, digging her fingertips and nails into luscious black curls.

 “Your kind are odd, I will never understand muggles.”

 “You don’t need to, you just need to be prepared for all the other maxims I’m going to spew out later on.”

 “Oh? So there’s a later … What happens in this later of yours?” The fingers in her hair clench slightly and Hermione looks away with a blush.

 “W-well, it involves you and me…obviously, wedding, food, lots of cuddling, because I refuse to live without cuddles…and maybe kids, maybe.” She says, now subconsciously tugging slightly at the hair in her hands.

 “…Kids you say…what about sex.” A grin splits her face as she watches the younger witch shy away and tuck her chin into her chest as she pushes her forehead into a black lace clad shoulder. “Ooohh, I get it. You’re so shy, talking about dirty, hot, sexy fucking?” A little squeak escapes the brunette making the older witch laugh loudly, making those around her look over and take a few steps away.

 “Stop it. God I’m so embarrassed.”

 “Aww, tut, lil’ kitten’s blushing about sex. It would be a terrible shame to use this to my advantage.” The fingers still firmly pushed beneath the dip in fabric, push further in and gently squeeze the skin it’s sought out.

 Another, more surprised little squeak is pushed out and she tries to bury herself further into the shorter witch’s arms, tucking her hips into the warm body in-front of her in an attempt to hide.

 Bellatrix huffs and, when the song finishes, pulls away and stands to the side that isn’t tattooed, with her arm firmly wrapped around a slim waist. “I’m sure you’re hungry, shall we go eat?”

 Hermione nods, her face still flaming red as she looks down through the slits in her mask.

 It’s when they’ve been stood between the open, entry doors and one of the five buffet tables (the pudding one, Bellatrix demanded it) when they get collared.

 “Ah, Bella, how lovely to see you. Who is this pretty little thing?” A man, around Bella’s age steps close to them, letting sleazy fingers drag down her bare upper arm. Hermione shivers in distaste.

 The dark witch tightens the casual arm around her waist and turns so that the man is closer so Bellatrix than to Hermione. “This is my _mate_ , you will be wise to keep your slimy slugs off her.” She takes another small, menacing step forwards, a clear warning to the man.

 His already shady grin turns out right awful, and the deep circles beneath his eyes darken. “Oh, but Bella, any property of yours is property of mine. Our marital contract specified this.”

 The dark witch sneers as the brunette under her wing cringes. “Again, Rodolphus, she is not my property and if the Dark Lord approves, we will no longer be joined by a piece of paper.” She whisper hisses, stepping once again closer, and making sure the weasel like face in-front of her cowers away.

 “Mmmhh, we’ll see Bells, we’ll see.” The man grins once more and then saunters off, probably to find some poor fool to warm his bed for the night.

 “That was my husband Rodolphus, part of the ninth wealthiest pureblood families in Europe. And, as you can clearly see, he is in need of castration.”

 The eldest Black sister squeezes her side and they make their way back through throngs of people to the dance floor, and continue to dance and eat and just generally enjoy each other’s company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. I will be uploading another two bellamione fics, one simillar in a way to Beauty and the beast 'I couldn't resist, Emma Watson is bae') and the other is an omegaverse one, which I'm actually rather excited about, because if I've got things right, it'll be the first bellamione fic ever. If not, please comment and say, because I canny find any.


	6. Ginny!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kiss, a lot of apparition and one squeaky ginge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been too long pals. Have chapter 6 as a sorry :P

 That is until the inevitable Dark Lord found them; and although he saved Bellatrix from a worse fate than she was already in, this was one of those very few minutes her veins pulse, wishing she had nothing to do with him.

 He first came secreted into the party, through a flicker of lights and a quieting of voices, the whispers now with more reverence and respect for this seemingly god-like figure. Unfortunately, he seeks the witches out first, gliding from the top of a short burst of stairs into a different room, what must be the drawing room, and straight to them.

 He stands before them, face shrouded in a black smoke like substance, rolling off his face and into his robes, the bottom of his robes doing exactly the same but rolling out onto the polished floor like tree roots, grown into the ground with a scattered precision with the aim of not letting wind win.

 “My Bella. It is good to see you.” Bellatrix turns to her lord, smiles as brightly as she can and bows into a perfect right angle, she pulls her brunette counterpart with her, the hand wrapped around her waist only loosening slightly to slide further around her side and beneath her dress.

 “Who is this beautiful creature at your side? I presume this is your mate.” His ghoul like mask parts a little around his mouth letting the pair see perfect teeth, tinted only slightly grey as he smiles at the younger witch.

 Bellatrix bows her head again, tightening her hold on the girl and letting her fingers slip inbetween each rib in a reassuring caress. “Yes, my Lord. She is quite the beauty is she not?”

 The man hums, his mask falling back into place as he nods thoughtfully, the mask’s matter seems to float around him with his nods, like silk in water. “Yes, I suppose she is, what is her name?”

 Bellatrix smiles a little more, her other, unoccupied hand comes to thread their fingers together. “Suki. Suki Céleste.”

 “What a beautiful name, for an equally as beautiful woman. It is my pleasure.” Before the brunette can blink the dark lord had bowed slightly, his head tilted towards the brunette’s uncovered tattoo, admiring it before standing back up straight and gliding off to greet some other guests.

 Hermione lets out a relieved breath, turning to her darker counterpart. “Now that…was intense.” The dark witch had yet to look at her with her dark, glass like eyes, as she tailed the dark lord around the room ensuring he was fully out of earshot before responding, and even then, she didn’t take her eyes off the man.

 “Mmmh, quite” she licks her lips then glances over at her mate, a small grin appearing as she lightly tickles the ribs beneath her fingertips. “Shall we?” The brunette nods, grabs the older witch’s hand and drags them both away from the edge of the dance circle and out of the room entirely.

 They run, one following the other as they chase and pant and go, they soon find themselves by the small magical botanical gardens of the Malfoy Mansion. Bellatrix calls Twiggy, the sharp snap sounding off every thick tree, small tucked-away pond and colourful, fluorescent flower.

 The little elf appears in a matter of seconds and bows deeply. “Yes, Mistress Bellatrix.” Her long elven nose gently scraping the longer blades of grass.

“Bring my box of chocolates. You know which one.” The elf stands up straight, a glint of knowing passing between elf and mistress, before snapping away again.

 “…box of chocolates you say. I might just have to eat some, make sure they’re not drugged.” She receives a tap to her rump making her jump and scoff indignantly. The dark witch looks at her, before letting her hand slide from a perfect backside to delicate fingers.

 “Only the best for my queen.” She flashes a charming smile up at the girl, she eyes the mask with a sour look.

 “Oh, so now I’m a queen? Am I still a feline queen? Or just a regular ol’ queeny.” She senses as Bellatrix’s sour mood morphs into a nod of decision. “What?”

 Without answering two pale hands slide up from her arms, to her neck and jaw and finally to the back of her head. Hermione eyes her with caution unsure of where this could go. The older witch gives a reassuring smirk before tugging once at the back of the brunette’s head, satisfied as both ribbons come undone and the mask falls into an open palm. “Mmmhh, better. I like to see all of my mate. Something so beautiful shouldn’t go to waste.”

 A raging blush bursts over Hermione’s cheeks, and she looks away abashedly. “Oh, s-stop it you.”

 “How can I when-“ She wraps an arm gracefully around Hermione’s waist and dips her low, her other hand coming to hold a hand up, their new position now a poetic dancing dip. “my mate is-“ She gently spins them, pushing her head down to sniff along the plain of the brunette’s neck “just so beautiful?” She finishes the seductive move with a suck and a nibble to the tender skin found directly beneath one elegantly stretched jaw.

 She simpers, her eyes glinting as she takes in her handiwork, the reddened skin, raised pulse, sped up breath; and one open-mouthed beauty - correction -  human jelly. She pulls the girl upright and straight into her arms knowing full well her legs won’t work.

 “B-bella.” She moans, her limp form draped sideways against the older witch. “How do you do this to me? Y-you seductress. Succubus. Sensual. Erot-mmhh.” She’s cut off with a pair of lips and a hand in her hair.

 Their first kiss is long and carnal. Her bottom lip captured first, then a tongue appears and licks against the backs of her top row of teeth. She grows even limper in the dark witch’s arms.

 With a hum Bella pulls back, her bottom lip refusing to part with Hermione’s. She keeps her hand splayed in brunette strands, definitely having mussed up the perfect bun, keeping her head from flopping all the way back. “And now?” She asks, her voice having grown huskier purely from arousal.

 Hermione stutters, barely able to keep her eyes open and her tongue from licking around her lips. “D-definitely erotic.” She gasps out. The older witch pushes the brunette’s head forward until it rests securely at the base of her neck and collar bone.

 “I must say, you have invoked quite the uproar in proper society. Having turned many heads. It’s a shame they see you as nothing but a fuckable object, now I’m not saying you’re not fuckable but you definitely hold more than what the patriarchy wants you to be. My Belle.” She flutters fingertips over the flush covering Hermione’s cheeks. “Always such a wonderful blush. Do you think you will stop blushing? I hope not, it makes your freckles even more perfect.” Her thumb traces high, sweeping against a closing eyelid.

 She hums delightedly as the young witch’s mouth parts for her thumb to press in slightly. “Good girl.”

 She smiles once more as the brunette’s eyes open, and pulls her into a firm embrace and apparating right back into the three broomsticks and sweeps her over to the bed. The red-head having departed not long after they had.

 Hermione settled onto the edge of the covers, the older witch moving to kneel before her and she rests her hands on her ankles, before sliding them up to mid-calf and lifting, her other hand sliding back down and tugging her flats off. Hermione moves her hand to rest against Bella’s cheek, her fingers just barely swamped in black curls. “How do you make them look so gorgeously untamed? Mine just ends up a frizzy mess.”

 Bellatrix chuckles, doing the same to her other leg and shoe before placing that leg too, on the ground then resting her hands on Hermione’s knees and sitting up off her heels to make their faces level. “Don’t brush it, the curls are easily lost when the natural ‘clumps’ of hairs are disturbed, and the shorter strands can’t hold on. I also like to use a spell or two to keep the ends healthy.” She runs her fingers through the brunette’s hair, carefully pulling out each of the twirls, strategically placed in her hair, then moving to the hair-grips holding her bun together.

 “The last trick I know, to keep it looking like it’s got lift is to tie it up when it’s drying or you’re sleeping. Although that’s ill-advised if I have you beneath me, writhing and moaning. But I will wait, so until then use a bobble.” A cheeky grin and a tug has her hair falling down over the both of them.

 Bellatrix pushes a hand up the side of Hermione’s face and brushes her hair backwards onto her own head, so she can pull away and stand up. “Now, you can either stay here for the night, the booking runs out at twelve the day-after tomorrow. Or I can owl your friend. I cannot take you for obvious reasons.”

 She stands with her hands on her hips as she waits for the younger witch to decide.

 The brunette looks at the grandfather clock sat in the corner of the room. “Hmm, I think Gin’ll still be awake at twenty past two in the morning. Probably perving over what _I’m_ up to.” She shivers, her friend can be seriously creepy at times.

 The older witch nods, her smile full of longing. She snaps her fingers and a little rather well-kept elf appears, wearing a waistcoat and tiger-print loincloth. “Go to Ginerva Weasley in Hogwarts and apparate her here.” The elf nods and snaps back out of the room.

 Bellatrix holds her hands up and starts pressing each finger and thumb down to her palm until the little finger on her left hand is pushed down and the elf reappears, satisfying the smug look on the dark witch’s face.

 “Great shiny Merlin elbows am I glad I can’t apparate, ugh.” The red-head shakes herself with her tongue out. “Whoever discovered it can shove it right up their left nostril.” She pats down her body before finally looking up at the two witches before her, the elf having moved to Bellatrix’s side.

 “I expect you to take my mate back, safe and sound. My elf will apparate you into your common room. Hermione, expect mail every morning, make sure you tell me everything, if it’s bothering you I want to know. Especially if it’s to do with my bratty little nephew.” An expectant raised eyebrow at the brunette signifies Bella’s want of an answer; so she follows up with a hurried stutter of yeses.

 “Good.” She steps forward, pushes her lips to the corner of her mouth then apparates from the room much in the way she had when she’d finished preparing for the masquerade.

 “…Wooo! Guuurl. Lipstick marks. Dishevelled hair. Blush. You can’t expect me to not appreciate the thorough snog-sesh left-overs you just had.”

 Hermione smiles shyly and looks down at her feet her hands clasped in-front of her. “I did not have a ‘snog-sesh’ but she did kiss me and was very gentlewomanly and I just *sigh* I’m far too in-love with her for the amount of time I’ve known her.” Hermione doesn’t need to look down from where she’d tilted her head to look at the ceiling to know the massive eyeroll her friend just did.

 “Puh-lease, HG, anyone would be like that after finding their soulmate. I’ll probs be defo like that when I meet mine. I’m getting super close though Look! Look! The colour’s so much more defined now.” She shoves her wrist once again, beneath the poor brunette’s nose. “I’m so close now.”

 “Mmmh, I bet you are.” She giggles as she thinks of Ginny and Luna, how on Earth could they make a perfect match?

 “Stop it you. It’s bad enough you won’t tell me who it is, so stop tittering like you’re a year one boy who managed to sneak a glob of slobber into his teacher’s drink.” She sighs wistfully, her eyes having gone all glossy in thought. Her wrist clutched to her chest.

 Hermione sits watching her friend for all of three seconds before shoving her in the shoulder and pushing her to the poor elf, who’d been stood there since Bellatrix apparated. “Come on, you mopey old fart, get your arse in gear.” She shoves the red-head over to the elf who takes first Ginny’s hand then her own and they’re soon apparated into the middle of the Gryffindor Common room.

 “Thank you errh…” Before she turns to where the elf was and frowns meeting nothing but thin air, so she lets her arm flop back down and turns to look at the paintings, who were all either sleeping or busy reading. Undisturbed by their late - or early - arrival.

 Hermione looked to her friend and is immediately struck by the magnificent set of teeth glaring at her. She pauses before looking up into playful grey eyes. “Sooo, whatcha do?”

 The brunette shrugs “Ginny. I’m tired.” And turns.

 “Go on, was there at least a lil’ bitta groping in there?” Hermione pauses at the squeaky teasing, her cheeks already betraying her. “I knew it!”

 “My feet hurt and you’re going to wake everyone up.” They make their way up the stairs.

 “Was it good, hot … _steamy_? Was there tongue!” Hermione’s splutter confirms that yes, there was tongue. A badly muffled squeal makes her jump and she swivels round, her hand gripping the banister.

 “Ginny could you not? You might as well be a banshee in heat for all the noise you’re making.” Ginny’s grin says everything but quiet.

 The older one of the pair turns back around and carries on, back up the stairs, her hand trailing from the banister to the stone wall letting the cool calm her blush. When she steps through the dormitory door she’s pushed to the side, so the ginger can come sweeping in, her arms wrapped around herself as her skirt flails around her. “Was there dancing. I bet it was dreamy, I bet she was dead suave and gentlewomanly and mmfghff-“ Hermione cuts her off by pushing a hand into her mouth and holding her at the waist.

 “I will make sure you have no socks to wear for the rest of the week if you don’t stop blabbering loudly. Look Romilda’s gonna wake up.” She finishes whispering angrily at the girl for them both to turn to Miss Vane’s bed, where the girl in question is rolling around. But she finally settles and goes back to sleep. They both watch the girl until they’re absolutely sure she isn’t going to wake up.

 The ginger being held tightly starts juddering and Hermione has to take a second to recognise the giggling before it turns into noise. She hastily pushes and bats at her young friend, but her flapping only encourages the giggles.

 “Ginny!” She whispers exasperatedly.


	7. My Bubbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny finally figures things out. Harry does too, some Bellamione communication, and Bellatrix desires something.

 Over the next few weeks, following the Masquerade ball, Hermione had received one gift a day from her ‘secret admirer’, she’d also taken to wearing looser shirts with rolled up sleeves, as well as wearing her hair in plait and braids to fend off the warming Scottish air.

 Ginny still hasn’t found her soulmate. By now it’s getting ridiculously drawn out and Hermione wonders if her soulmate is avoiding Ginny because they know how much of a pot-head her ginger friend actually is.

 Ron had found his soulmate in one lavender brown. Her sickly sweet personality forces Ron’s grumpiness into the background. It also makes pretty much everyone around them gag, because every other moment, Lavender’s tongue is shoved so far down his throat, it’d likely punch a hole in his trousers. The only one who seems to be oblivious to being  an immediate third wheel when around the pair, is Harry; but, let’s face it, he’d need a blaring neon sign saying ‘I’m going to run you over’ to tell him he was about to be run over by a double decker.

 Hermione’s lost more hope in him than Ginny, at ever finding his soulmate.

 On one such warm weekend, or warm for Scotland, the majority of the student body had found themselves outside in as little clothing as what is deemed appropriate. Hermione and co found themselves next the lake, with many other students.

 “Harry, hey Harry. D’you know who my soulmate is?” Ginny’s met with silence as the boy in question stares out at the black lake, his hands plucking at pebbles and grass from around their blanket.

 Ginny swings her head round and glares at Hermione in disbelief. “Can you believe him?!”

 “Oh, stop. Gin you’re equally as bad as him. Plus, he does have a lot on his mind at the moment.” Hermione nudges at the ginger’s hands where she too, is plucking out grass blades and daisy’s and then further ripping them to shreds. She scoffs and throws the innocent weeds at the brunette who snickers.

 It’s not long before Luna and Lavender join them, with Lavender immediately grabbing Ron’s hand and dragging him into the water, uncaring of making his shirt wet.

 Luna sits next to Hermione, right in the only bit of dappled sunlight coming through the thick leaves.

 She feels a nudge in her side after she’s smiled at the blonde and turns to look at Ginny who’s staring suspiciously at the Ravenlcaw. The red-head grabs a ripped off corner of parchment and summons a quill and quickly scribbles. She throws it in Hermione’s lap after making sure it’s folded many times, and viciously points at it.

 Hermione sighs, opens it and rolls her eyes. ‘I _s_ she my soulmate?’. She lets her head roll to look at Ginny from beneath her eyelashes. The girl squawks out a ‘what’ to which Hermione raises both eyebrows and shakes her head.

 She stands up, sheds both her knee-length shorts and tank top revealing plain black swim shorts and thick bandeau.

 Ginny squawks again, staring at the brunette. “Guuuurl…You been hiding that? Dang, the tatt just makes you even hotter.” Ginny fans a hand at her face as she blatantly looks from head to toe. “Your soulmate be one lucky gal.”

 Hermione just stares at her before deciding to completely ignore her and walk off, straight into the water.

 A few others were already in the lake, splashing about and laughing, the houses mingling and the lake’s other massive tentacled occupant, slapping the water’s surface in its own way of enjoying the company.

 Ginny huffs and flops backwards onto the blanket, covering her eyes with a forearm. “Y’know, that girl’ll be the death of me one day. I just know it. What say you Luna?” She rolls her head to peak from beneath her arm and pauses, frowning at where the blonde’s short grey shorts have risen up to reveal part of a tattoo.

 “Hey … Luna. We’ve been friends for, like… _ages_ , but you’ve never told me what your tattoo is. I mean. I know Harry’s, _everyone_ knows H’s.” She stares out at the brunette, who’s happily floating on her back a few metres from shore. “Is it because I haven’t told you mine? Cuz it’s some weird-ass creature.” She briefly flaunts her wrist, right under Luna’s wackily bespectacled nose.

 The blonde smiles dreamily as she pulls the edge of her shorts leg up and looks down at Ginny. Her airy smile turns into more of full toothed-grin as she pushes her glasses up onto her head.

 Luna’s tattoo is scruffy and elegant a slim, stream-lined broom, no bigger from fingertip to wrist and stretched with the tip of the handle closest to Luna’s hip down until the brush reached mid-thigh.

 Ginny gasps. “…noooo.” She looks up at the blonde, who’s grin had gone back to a certain airy quality. “Is it really you?” She awkwardly reaches out and strokes down the tattoo, barely conscious of the fact she’s touching someone in what could be considered as an intimate place. “I can’t actually…I’m gonna kill ‘mione. How could she not tell me?! Did she tell you?”

 “No, she tends to have itoxys following her, they’re constantly biting everyone.” Luna pulls her glasses from her head and looks down at them in thought. “They bite when they think the people, ethe person they’re swarming talks to, aren’t intelligent enough compared to their human. In this case Hermione, which means they will bite everybody.” She points to a suspiciously oval shaped ring of freckles on Ginny’s arm, barely bigger than a butter beer cork.

 “Just sitting here you’ve been bitten twice.” Ginny stares at the ring of freckles then starts to scan the rest of her skin for any more. It’s as she’s rolled up her top to inspect her stomach that she realises, she’d like to know more about Luna’s creatures.

***

 Mucking about in the lake, so close to the Lake’s longest inhabitant, is very relaxing, especially if she just floats about on her back, a magical tether keeping her ankle pulled to the side as she floats about, keeping her from floating too far.

 She tilts her head up every so often to look at her friends still beneath the tree’s shade and smiles to herself because Ginny’s finally, _finally_ , figured it out.

 Any minute now and her own soulmate will be contacting her, after having sent a much longer letter than normal. This will be made easier if the fact that Black Lake has its own water source is a bonus in her want to connect with her other half, does help.

 Not two seconds later and a hand-sized air-bubble pops up next to her and bursts releasing a quiet murmur of her soulmate’s voice.

 She sends one back, confirming she’d received it and smiles as she sets her head back to floating, along with the rest of her.

 Not long after she’d sent her own bubble, another one pops up next to her and she smiles as it pops.

_‘I have been missing you greatly my love, it would have been extremely lonely had Cissy not kept pestering me to do some gardening. She’s picking on my hobbies’_

 She decides to ignore the underlining of ‘ _and the dark lord sending her on missions.’_ She swishes her hands about in the water and glances to the peak of the hill, that faces Hogwarts, she sends another of her own bubbles.

  _‘I can see you, your swimsuit is incredibly tantalising. I never thought a muggle item could actually look so delicious’_

 Hermione smiles and lets herself dunk beneath the gentle lapping of waves against her body, coming back up with a gasp as the air makes the water on her body even cooler. “It’s just a bit of fabric and string sewn together Bella.” She murmurs.

_‘Mmmhh, yes, however the claim I have over you is clearly visible, which makes it even sexier, because even if I’m not at your side, my mark will forever make you mine’_

 Hermione blushes and looks down to her exposed side, tracing the image of her soulmate’s sister.  “I like how she looks after you and you her. I wish I had siblings. Just knowing someone would always have my back, I know I have friends, but it just doesn’t seem the same.”

_‘Tracing your soul mark is very sensual, it could be even more erotic if you had tied the other ankle to shore, then I would have the perfect view’_

 Hermione’s blush returns, and she glares at the tip of the hill, where she really squints, and with a bit of wishful thinking she can see the smallest of human shaped dots on the brow of the hill. Her reply is just as indignant as she felt and attached the tether to her wrist instead and stuck her tongue out at the sky.

 She glances at her friends and smiles, they’re still sat there, the only difference is the fact that Ginny’s head has found it’s way into Luna’s lap and the book the blonde had been reading is resting against the ginger’s forehead.

 She catches Harry looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She grins sheepishly before waving her hand at the boy, gesturing for him to join her. 

 She sees him hesitate before getting up and waddles into the cold water, shirt and all.

 “I’ll talk to you later Bells. Stay safe.” She sends the last bubble off and then cancels the current they had travelled to get from her to her soulmate and back.

 She’s soon disturbed by Harry who comes splashing to a stop next to her with a cheeky grin. He pushes on her chest and dunks her beneath the water. She comes back up coughing and spluttering, a glare that could curdle butter present.

 “Soooo…How’s the gf?” Another cheeky grin.

 Hermione sighs, splits the tether to attach itself to Harry’s wrist as well, before looking at him from her floating position. “You…Have been spending too much time around Ginny. I swear to god.” She flails an arm at her friend, managing to land a hit to his glasses-less face.

 “Hermioneeee. Whyyyyy.” He whines, rubbing his hand over his face rapidly.

 “Soooo…Gin’s found her soulmate?” She glances at him from the corner of her eye and notices he stopped moving, staring at the water through his slightly parted fingers.

 He slowly lifts his face to look at her. “Yeeeeesss…”

 “You, *ahem* going to. Oh, I don’t know, find yours soon or what?” She pushes her legs down so that she’s no longer floating flat on her back.

 He rubs at the bridge of his nose, clearly having nothing to do with his hands like clean his glasses “I-I don’t knoooowww…?” He looks away with a bitten bottom lip and raised eyebrows.

 Hermione frowns. “Mate. You do realise you have the worst poker face, right? Go on then, who is it?”

 He shakes his head, letting his weight drop him further down in the water so that the water laps at his chin.

 “For god-…at least tell me what your tatt is?” She smiles gently when he turns to look at her, worry furrowing his brow.

 “A glass of blood. Or at least, I think it’s blood anyway. But because of your massive head, you’ll work it out in like 2 seconds flat.” He stares at her as she does try to work out who it could be, then it clicks.

 Blood purity.

 “Nooooo.” He nods. “Nooooooooooo. Welp, they are a rather attractive family, are they not?” She grins devilishly at her friend who blushes and dunks his face into the water coming back up with a gasp. The water is far too cold to just dunk your face in.

 “Well, he’s a lucky lad, as are you, he just needs a few loose ends straightening, cough cough, pardon the pun.” She bites her lip and looks to the hill subconsciously, purely to centre herself.

 “I don’t know how his house will react though, so we’ve been trying to keep it as quiet as possible. I only found out a few days ago.” He rubs his arm under the water.

 “Well, how _did_ you meet?”

 “We were arguing in the bathroom about Umbridge when he tugged at his collar and…and his tattoo was of a howling wolf.” Hermione tuts and pulls him into an awkward hug as he starts to cry.

 “Hey, hey, sshhh, you know she didn’t do it on purpose.”

 “But that doesn’t bring him back! I have no family Hermione. Non.” He cries into her shoulder as she strokes through his water-tangled hair.

 “Well that’s just codswallop. You have me, Ron, Ginny, you now have Draco. Even Neville. family doesn’t have to be related Harry, for them to be considered family. The Gryffindor house would be considered a family, so you have them too.” She slowly tugs them both back to shore, stopping where their feet are planted in the ground and their shoulders rise barely above the water.

 She wipes away the few tears and then pulls him into a less-awkward hug, their legs no-longer knocking in order to stay afloat. “Now, why don’t, next weekend, we go to Hogsemeade hmm? Me, you, Draco, maybe Ginny? Not Ron, as much as I love him, he won’t be able to keep his gob shut.”

 Harry laughs and nods. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

***

 Throughout the week the weather got progressively nicer, with fewer and fewer clouds and the sun burning hotter and hotter. Summer was definitely here, and Hermione and her friends were taking full advantage of it and the lake. Seeing as British summer time tended to last about half a week.

 She checked on Harry about his soulmate every so often. Draco now knew that she knew.

 Ginny has turned into complete mush around Luna, almost permanently attached at the hip. She’s also constantly fiddling with the blonde’s hair, much to Hermione’s dismay, because she keeps finding platinum blonde hairs all over her work or desk when they’re sat with her.

 Bellatrix had kept up with her messaging via owl and bubble, they also managed to sneek in a little chat in the early hours through the fire-place. Hermione had to keep slapping her hands to keep from touching the piping hot coals, even though they didn’t actually heat the room, purely there as a light source.

 She had taken to sleeping in as little clothing as possible and Ginny being Ginny, kept staring at her with a half-smile and raised eyebrow.

 Even when Hermione growled at the younger witch, she wouldn’t look away, merely snorting and fanning her face.

 By Sunday, the weather had started to cool from returning clouds and Hermione was thankful as it meant she could return to wearing her pyjamas. Monday came sooner than any student would have liked, and with it a relatively large parcel being unceremoniously dropped on her plate.

 Thank Merlin she forwent beans for breakfast. She smiled as she took in the familiar black parchment.

 “I bet it’s a toy to add to your sex dungeon.” Hermione chokes and slaps Ginny in the face. “Now that, was uncalled for.” The ginger clutched at her face, peeking between her fingers at an absolutely indignant Hermione.

 “Can’t you just keep it to yourself for one second?” She started to pry the parcel open, scurrilously plucking at the wax seal.

 “Welllll. This is a sadist we’re talking about isn’t it? I bet she has a whole mansion filled with kinky things like whips and ball gags.” Ginny rubs her face as she grins, staring intently at the parcel as Hermione still has opened it yet.

 “I bet it’s a cake.” Ginny glares at her food obsessed brother. Then at Lavender whose lips seemed to be permanently sucked to his neck.

 “Oh, come on H. It shouldn’t take someone this long to open a bloody package.” Just as she finishes her sentence Hermione finally pulls the last flap of paper over and folds it underneath the suspiciously plain box.

 Rectangular, with an elegant key hole, key placed perfectly ontop, the wood is polished with a deep glaze pulling out the wood’s natural redness.

 She glides her fingers over the top and grabs onto the key, puts it in the keyhole and twists. A satisfying clunk of something much bigger and heavier opening and the lid pops up a centimetre.

 Her friends are crowded round it, just as intent on seeing what’s inside as she is.

 She opens the lid and, placed on black velvet are two items with a letter in top. She picks the letter up first and reads it.

_My beloved kitten,_

_As we are nearing our half a year anniversary, and because I felt like it, the following are gifts._

_My desire in courting you has only increased since our most recent separation. I can only assume you feel the same._

_He has expressed his desire to meet you again, in person. I couldn’t be happier._

_I have said enough now my love, the gifts I have sent represent just a portion of my love._

_My undying love_

_Panther._

She tilted the letter to look at the box’s contents and found a thorn less black baccara rose, and an elegant Celtic knot headpiece, a large amethyst settled in the middle of the central knot.

 Hermione lifts the rose out and thumbs one of the outer petals. She glances up to catch a certain blond watching her with a sparkle in his eye.

 She’ll have to corner him later; and corner him she did, they were the last two out of Snape’s potions lesson and she managed to grab hold of his sleeve.

 He turns back t match her grin with one of his own. “I suppose you want to know where Aunt Bella found it?” Hermione nods, releasing his sleeve and rubs her hands together. “Mother was furious when she found one of her roses missing. I watched from the upper living-room as my aunt trundled about in the rain, staring at each rose for at least a minute each.”

 They both walk out of the door, aiming for the hall for tea, Hermione stares at the tips of her shoes as Draco looks up and ahead, his hands pressed behind his back. “It was rather funny to watch to be honest. She hates getting unnecessarily wet, I think she must have forgotten she could cast a waterproofing spell.” Hermione laughs and looks out of the walkway’s open corridor out over the Scottish countryside.

 “What do you think of my partnership to Harry? Only you know.” She glances behind them at his fidgeting hands and sighs.

 “He’d be good for you, all this arrogance you carry isn’t good. Plus, I think, if you marry who your parents want you to marry, I feel like your mental state would suffer. I do care for you in what little time I’ve known you, but Bella cares for you, and in turn so do I.” She sighs again and smiles softly at him before they enter the hall separately.


End file.
